Sociology 10 marker
One reason why white-collar crimes do not often result in successful criminal prosecutions is
due to there being selective law enforcement, this regarding that crimes are maintained and
developed by the ruling class. Corporate crime regards that of an illegal act that is carried
out by a member of the ruling class, their workplace position giving them extensive power
and control, as they hold the respect of consumers and the public, due to their high status
and respectable background. The crimes in which these individuals engage in often do not
result in prosecution as the criminal justice system has been developed to protect their acts
from serious punishment, being that it acts to prosecute working class street crime. This is
demonstrated such as in the instance of different terminology being used regarding crimes
within the corporate sector, such as commonly referring to a death in the workplace as an
“incident”. The legal system has also been set up in a way that protects their serious acts
from receiving the same punishment as working-class individuals for less serious acts, being
that when most corporate acts do reach prosecution, they are most likely to receive a fine.
Another reason in which white-collar crimes are unlikely to result in prosecution is due there
being a general lack of public knowledge surrounding the act, of which reduces the
likelihood of a report being made against the offender. This is seen such as in the instance of
Bernie Madoffs Ponzi Scheme, whereby Bernie was able to successfully defraud loyal
consumers of their money for consecutive years with them being completely unaware as to
their money being used for his own financial gain. This is an instance of white-collar
corporate crime as, due to his position of power and respectability, customers were willingly
handing over their personal details and money, thinking that they were in good hands. This
therefore acts as on instance of why corporate crimes are not prosecuted as, should
consumers have been aware as to the crimes being committed against them, prosecution
would have arisen much sooner. Furthermore, in many other instances of corporate crime,
businesses can defraud consumers or commit acts of embezzlement and due to a lack of
knowledge that the act is occurring and using their respectable position of authority in their
favour, they are unlikely to be reported. However, should the crime become exposed, due to
their better knowledge of the legal system in comparison to a working-class individual and
the better financial situation to afford good quality legal support, they have a much higher
chance of being able to escape prosecution.
One reason why white-collar crimes do not often result in successful criminal prosecutions is
due to there being selective law enforcement, this regarding that crimes are maintained and
developed by the ruling class. Corporate crime regards that of an illegal act that is carried
out by a member of the ruling class, their workplace position giving them extensive power
and control, as they hold the respect of consumers and the public, due to their high status
and respectable background. The crimes in which these individuals engage in often do not
result in prosecution as the criminal justice system has been developed to protect their acts
from serious punishment, being that it acts to prosecute working class street crime. This is
demonstrated such as in the instance of different terminology being used regarding crimes
within the corporate sector, such as commonly referring to a death in the workplace as an
“incident”. The legal system has also been set up in a way that protects their serious acts
from receiving the same punishment as working-class individuals for less serious acts, being
that when most corporate acts do reach prosecution, they are most likely to receive a fine.
Another reason in which white-collar crimes are unlikely to result in prosecution is due there
being a general lack of public knowledge surrounding the act, of which reduces the
likelihood of a report being made against the offender. This is seen such as in the instance of
Bernie Madoffs Ponzi Scheme, whereby Bernie was able to successfully defraud loyal
consumers of their money for consecutive years with them being completely unaware as to
their money being used for his own financial gain. This is an instance of white-collar
corporate crime as, due to his position of power and respectability, customers were willingly
handing over their personal details and money, thinking that they were in good hands. This
therefore acts as on instance of why corporate crimes are not prosecuted as, should
consumers have been aware as to the crimes being committed against them, prosecution
would have arisen much sooner. Furthermore, in many other instances of corporate crime,
businesses can defraud consumers or commit acts of embezzlement and due to a lack of
knowledge that the act is occurring and using their respectable position of authority in their
favour, they are unlikely to be reported. However, should the crime become exposed, due to
their better knowledge of the legal system in comparison to a working-class individual and
the better financial situation to afford good quality legal support, they have a much higher
chance of being able to escape prosecution.
