White-Collar Crime
Definition
Crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of their occupation (Sutherland, 1939). The category covers fraud, embezzlement, insider trading, bribery, and similar offences. Later scholars debated whether the definition should focus on the offender's status or the act's characteristics.
- Coined by
- Edwin Sutherland, 1939
- Original definition basis
- Offender's respectability and social status
- Includes
- Fraud, embezzlement, insider trading, bribery
- Definitional debate
- Offender status versus act characteristics
Common questions
Why did later scholars question Sutherland's original definition of white-collar crime?+
Sutherland's status-based definition excludes similar offences committed by lower-status individuals in occupational settings, so critics proposed defining the category by the nature of the act, such as deception or abuse of trust, rather than by who commits it.
How does white-collar crime differ from organised crime for investigative purposes?+
White-collar crime typically arises from legitimate occupational access and financial deception, investigated through documents, accounting records, and interviews, whereas organised crime centres on coordinated criminal enterprise and often involves different investigative tools such as surveillance and informants.
Related terms
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- Neutralisation Techniques
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- Organised Crime
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