Opportunity Structures for White Collar Crime - Deviance - Lecture Slides, Slides of Sociology of Deviance

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Opportunity Structures for White Collar Crime Engdahl  Opportunity is a central component in white- collar crimes  Sutherland (1983) initially studied criminality among upper social classes  Says it was made possible by “positions in power”  White-collar crime: people who help positions in “respectable” or had “high social status” (Sutherland)  Criminality had to do with misuse of position in order to commit crime Part 7: Ch. 42 Docsity.com  Example of barrier concept:  Broker at firm loses $1 million of client’s money & attempts to hide it for four years  After four years, it totals to $21 million, and cannot be hidden.  The fact that broker could hide it for so long from client & firm’s other employees exemplifies that accounts were permeated with barriers that obstructed suspicion & detection of crime  Referred to as financial self-interest, low priority of control & interpretative primacy Part 7: Ch. 42 Docsity.com  Relations between broker & client were informal & involved oral agreements in person, nothing in writing  Client gave broker (loose) instructions such as “do the deals you think are good”  Client regarded broker as knowledgeable & felt he was exploiting broker for his business savvy  Perceived broker to be highly reliable  Client-broker relationship became friendly while financial interests took backseat Part 7: Ch. 42 Docsity.com  Broker considered a “pro” strongly interested in “generating profits” and “demanding”  He quickly rose to higher positions within the firm & by virtue of his position was able to “get away” with his blunder (i.e., losing $21 million for client) Part 7: Ch. 42 Docsity.com  What gives rise to white-collar crimes?  What is the goal of white-collar criminality in the context of social positions? Part 7: Ch. 42 Docsity.com Deviant Careers Part VIIl  Attracts greatest amount of scholarly attention for two reasons:  Policy makers have great interest in finding out how and why people enter deviance so they can prevent it  It is fairly easy data for researchers to collect because every person or group of deviants can tell the story of how they got into the scene Part 8 Docsity.com  Not much research has been written about this topic for several reasons:  While most deviants may be socialized to the norms and values of their activity through contact with fellow deviants, most receive little explicit training in how to do deviance  Real training occurs when deviants work together, side by side, as a team, leaving only crews and deviant organizations as places where training may occur  Researchers have suggested that the number of criminals engaged in crew operations has declined in recent years Part 8 Docsity.com  This type of process analysis requires in-depth understanding not easily gotten through snapshot approach of survey research  Longitudinal studies of deviant careers are rare, but valuable  They can identify motivations, rewards, conflicts, and problems that deviants encounter over course of their deviant careers  Such studies are very helpful to people who struggle to understand themselves, friends and family members caught up in deviance as well a to policy makers Part 8 Docsity.com  High political-policy interest in this topic as search for ways to induce persons to quit their deviance  This is a difficult topic to research:  Information on longer-term deviants and their attitudes toward the scene, the people in them, their hopes and dreams is scarce Part 8 Docsity.com  This approach views deviance as an occupation and compares it to legitimate jobs  Work in deviant areas may hold similarities to the skills, professionalism, connections and attitudes of conventional jobs Part 8 Docsity.com  Goods and services are bought, sold, and distributed;  Costs, profits and risks are calculated;  Business opportunities, associates, suppliers, and customers identified, assessed and communicated with  Yet there are limitations to this analogy:  Contracts cannot be legally enforced  careers are much less stable and subject to change  the business environment has high risks of death and imprisonment to those involved Part 8 Docsity.com Deciding to Commit A Burglary Wright & Decker Part VIII Chapter 43  Need for such cash to solve immediate problem not long range one;  Burglary a matter of day to day survival  Thus not surprising that the frequency of offender burglaries governed by amount of money in their pockets:  Most would not offend if they had enough cash to meet current expenses  Most offenders did not save money they got from burglary but used it for one of three purposes as follows:  To “keep the party going”  To keep up appearances  To keep themselves and their families fed, clothed and sheltered Part 8: Ch. 43 Docsity.com  Nearly 75% of sample reported using money from burglary for high-living, most commonly drugs, especially crack cocaine  Lemert (1953) labeled such behavior “dialectical, self-controlled systems” since they exhibit a “false structure,” or internal logic that calls for constant law-breaking in order to sustain on- going life of partying, drug use, etc. Part 8: Ch. 43 Docsity.com  Such offenders become involved in offending without significant calculation:  Having embarked voluntarily on one course of action, crack smoking, they suddenly find themselves drawn into unanticipated activity of residential burglary without reasoned reflection  Beyond illicit drugs and alcohol purchase, about 15% of sample used burglary proceeds to pursue sexual conquests Part 8: Ch. 43 Docsity.com  Offenders’ concerns for outward appearances of notorious high-living reflects a strong attachment to values of street culture  Seen through offender’s eyes, however, such disdain for financial planning reflects money well-spent on maintaining or lowering one’s status on street Part 8: Ch. 43 Docsity.com  About 50% of sample said they paid bills with money from burglary  However, bills were often badly delinquent since offenders avoided paying them as long as possible even when they had cash in order to buy drugs and other items  Spontaneity is a prominent feature of street culture and many offenders displayed tendency to live for the moment Part 8: Ch. 43 Docsity.com  Katz (1988) suggests that through irresponsible spending, persistent offenders seek to construct an environment of pressures which direct them back into crime  Authors’ research found no indication such a conscious pattern existed; however, it is the case that offenders do not hesitate to spend money, leaving them with few alternatives to committing crimes Part 8: Ch. 43 Docsity.com  A few subjects, about 6%, said they did not typically commit burglaries for money as much for psychic rewards  Such persons reported breaking into dwellings for  thrills connected with risk  challenges inherent in the crime  opportunity for display of competence Part 8: Ch. 43 Docsity.com  Burglaries provided excitement but also chance to “be somebody” by completing a dangerous act  It also provided persons opportunity to demonstrate a sense of control and mastery over their lives and hence respect from others as well as self-respect Part 8: Ch. 43 Docsity.com  What kinds/types of burglaries seem more appealing than others?  What accounts for choosing deviance (burglary) over legitimate means of earning a living? Part 8: Ch. 43 Docsity.com