White-collar crime is the legal umbrella term for a variety of sub-categories that describe types of crime that are generally non-violent and involve status, power, deception, and financial gain.
This article will cover the various definitions of white-collar crime, followed by a survey of its various forms.
1. White-collar Crime Defined
White-collar crime is a term first used in 1939 by the American sociologist and criminologist Edwin Sutherland. In his work, Sutherland it equates to “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.” [source]
Sutherland’s definition is an offender-based approach, where the criminal is central to the crime. However, there is an alternative offense-based approach that shifts focus to the crime itself. This approach gained traction in the criminology field in part because of scholar Herbert Edelhertz.
Edelhertz is a Department of Justice official who proposed an offense-based definition in 1970. According to Edelhertz, white-collar crime is “an illegal act or series of illegal acts committed by non-physical means and by concealment or guile to obtain money or property, to avoid the payment or loss of money or property, or to obtain business or personal advantage.” [source] Moreover, Edelhertz narrowed down white-collar crime into four basic types:
- Personal Crimes
- Abuses of Trust
- Business Crimes
- Con Games
Sutherland and Edelhertz have two views within a vast sea of…
