WCC Final - Slides

Tort Law

The legal framework used to address intentional malpractice or harm caused to a patient.

Informed Consent

A legal requirement where patients sign forms spelling out risks; this protects physicians from liability for unforeseen circumstances beyond their control.

Medical Experimentation

A field governed by the Belmont Report to ensure the respect, benefit, and justice for human subjects.

Double Loyalty

An ethical dilemma where a therapist must balance loyalty to the patient's privacy against loyalty to an employer (e.g., a prison or corporation).

Phantom Billing

A common psychiatric fraud where insurance companies are charged for sessions or medical services that were never actually provided.

Defective Devices

A category of harm involving contaminated medical applications or faulty implants, often attributed to government failure on safety oversight.

Establishment Clause

The part of the 1st Amendment that demands the U.S. Government not favor one religion over another.

Charismatic Leader

The key psychological element required to "seduce the flock" into a questionable religious organization or Ponzi scheme.

Hush Money

Funds taken from a religious organization’s assets to pay victims of scandals to remain silent, turning a scandal into a white-collar crime.

Vulnerable Populations

The groups most targeted by religious charlatans, including "lost-souls," the elderly, and victims of natural disasters.

Religious Broadcasting

An industry granted a very liberal interpretation of freedom of speech, often used to solicit massive untraceable donations.

Frontal Lobes

The part of the brain associated with decision-making; its development is linked to why young athletes may engage in risky wagering.

Coogan Act

A California law requiring that 15% of a child actor's earnings be placed in a trust fund to prevent parental theft.

E Waste

Hazardous materials like lead and cathode ray tubes from electronics that are often illegally exported to countries with weak regulations.

Retrofitting

The expensive process of updating old factories to meet environmental laws, which acts as a financial motive for companies to pollute.

Green Criminology

A multi disciplinary field focused on protecting essential resources like air, food, and water from ecological crimes.

Compliance Officer

A professional (often an attorney) who takes a holistic view of an organization's legal and financial well-being

Comptroller

A specific financial role focused strictly on accounting principles and practices rather than broad regulation.

Direct Evidence

Legal "facts" used in white-collar cases to prove guilt without requiring an inference.

Circumstantial Evidence

Evidence based on reasonable and logical "speculation" or inference.

Low Security Prisons

Facilities where white-collar criminals are most often sentenced; historically criticized for being too much like "summer camps."

Sentencing Guidelines (1980s)

Federal rules created to reduce the disparity between different courtrooms and judges when sentencing defendants.

Habitus

A concept describing the "disposition" or learned behavior of individuals within a corporate culture that can normalize rule

Self-Control Theory

A framework used to explain individual white-collar crimes committed for short-term gratification.

Social Bonding Theory

A theory explaining that lower-level employees are more likely to offend if they feel disconnected from the company's values.

Rogue Employee Red Flags

Behavioral signs such as switching screens when approached, failing background checks, or knowing information they shouldn't.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

A form of self-regulation where companies create departments to engage in socially responsible community actions.

Moral Appeal

A prevention tactic using ethical or religious arguments to discourage crime, though it is often less effective than the threat of sanctions.

1904 Olympic Marathon

A case study in early sports fraud involving Frederick Lorz, who drove a car for part of the race, and another runner who used rat poison as a stimulant.

Spanish Basketball (2000)

A Paralympics scandal where the team faked intellectual disabilities to win a gold medal, leading to a permanent ban for Russia in later years.

98th Olympics (388 B.C.E.)

The first recorded instance of sports bribery, specifically occurring in the sport of boxing.

Spygate and Deflategate

NFL scandals involving the Patriots used to illustrate how "bending the rules" can become part of a winning corporate/team culture.

The "Lonely" Demographic

Specifically identified as "lost souls," these individuals are the primary targets for religious charlatans due to their disenfranchisement.

Religious Guerilla Warfare

A term used to describe how charismatic leaders seduce new members into questionable organizations or fraudulent schemes.

Tithes and Donations

The economic lifeblood of religious organizations, the dependency on which creates the primary motive for financial fraud and embezzlement.

Establishment Clause vs. Free Exercise Clause

The two 1st Amendment pillars: the former prevents government favoritism of one religion; the latter protects the individual's right to practice.

CRT (Cathode Ray Tubes)

A specific example of hazardous E-waste mentioned in the slides as a significant environmental and human health risk.

Environmental Acts of the 1960s

The historical turning point when the U.S. began aggressive legislative efforts to criminalize industrial pollution.

Beneficence

One of the three pillars of the Belmont Report, focusing on ensuring the research provides a clear benefit to the subjects.

Phantom Billing

A psychiatric fraud where providers charge insurance companies for "ghost" sessions or medical services that never took place.

Double Loyalty

The ethical conflict faced by therapists who must balance patient confidentiality against the demands of an employer, such as a prison or a corporation.

Sentencing Disparity

The historical issue of inconsistent punishments for the same crime, which led to the creation of the 1980s Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

Minimum vs. Maximum Security

While white-collar inmates typically go to low-security "camps," they are sent to maximum security when the court wants to "make an example" of a high-profile case.

Regulatory Ambiguity

A major roadblock in prosecution; it refers to the lack of clarity in laws that makes it difficult to determine who to blame in a corporation.

The "Watchdogs"

The collective term for regulatory agencies (like the SEC or EPA) that serve as the most important mechanism to curb white

Economic War on Terrorism

A strategy used by states to attempt to destabilize an adversarial country’s economy, often via cyberattacks on financial markets.

Adaptability Principle

The concept that white-collar criminals are highly skilled at modifying their behavior to "skirt around" new laws and regulations.

Transnational Hindrance

The difficulty in investigating crimes when regional laws and cultural differences conflict across international borders.

Compensation and Incentives

Identified as the most effective preventative measure; keeping employees "happy and loyal" reduces the internal drive to commit fraud.

Rogue Employee "Hacking" Sign

A specific behavioral red flag where an employee openly claims they can "hack" a coworker or company systems.

Moral Appeal

A prevention tactic that relies on an individual's internal ethics or religion, though slides note it is often less effective than the threat of sanctions.

Ministerial Exception

The legal "gray area" under Title VII that allows religious organizations to bypass certain employment discrimination laws.