Characteristics of white-collar offenders

The meaning and definition of white-collar crime is deeply contested. Most criminologists recognize that white-collar crime is different from traditional “street” crime. Disagreements center on the scope of the behavior and who, ultimately, is classified as a white-collar offender. Generally, white-collar crimes are offenses conducted by guile or concealment that involve “upper world” offenders. Broad definitions of white-collar crime can include harmful acts which are not illegal (deviance) to more narrow definitions that are tied exclusively to violations of criminal law. Depending on which definition is used, white-collar offenders may include governments, businesses, chief executive officers, professionals, welfare cheats, and individuals who illegally download software or purposefully underreport income on their taxes.

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Review: White-Collar Offenders and Desistance from Crime: Future Selves and the Constancy of Change by Ben Hunter

Current Issues in Criminal Justice ◽

10.1080/10345329.2016.12036051 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 345-348

Author(s):

Nicholas Simpson

Keyword(s):

White Collar ◽

Future Selves ◽

White Collar Offenders ◽

Desistance From Crime

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Between Hackers and White-Collar Offenders

Corporate Hacking and Technology-Driven Crime ◽

10.4018/978-1-61692-805-6.ch002 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 18-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Orly Turgeman-Goldschmidt

Keyword(s):

Empirical Data ◽

White Collar Crime ◽

White Collar ◽

Demographic Characteristics ◽

Computer Crime ◽

Economic Gain ◽

Face To Face ◽

White Collar Offenders

Scholars often view hacking as one category of computer crime, and computer crime as white-collar crime. However, no study to date has examined the extent to which hackers exhibit the same characteristics as white-collar offenders. This chapter looks at empirical data drawn from 54 face-to-face interviews with Israeli hackers, in light of the literature in the field of white-collar offenders, concentrating on their accounts and socio-demographic characteristics. Hackers and white-collar offenders differ significantly in age and in their accounts. White-collar offenders usually act for economic gain; hackers act for fun, curiosity, and opportunities to demonstrate their computer virtuosity. Hackers, in contrast to white-collar offenders, do not deny their responsibility, nor do they tell a “sad tale.”

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