This document summarizes a chapter about economic crimes, including blue-collar crimes, white-collar crimes, and green-collar crimes. It discusses the history and development of these crimes, provides examples like larceny, burglary, arson, and various types of fraud. It also covers theories for why people commit white-collar and green-collar crimes, such as rational choice and cultural views. Finally, it discusses laws and agencies that aim to control these crimes, comparing deterrence versus compliance approaches.

1. Chapter 12 -
Economic Crimes
Michelle Palaro
Criminology 81-220-1
Fall 2014

2. Economic Crimes
• Blue-collar Crimes
• White-collar Crimes
• Green-collar Crimes

3. History of Economic Crimes
• Development of White-Collar and Green-
Collar Crime
– Became more prominent during Industrial Era
– Edwin Sutherland first defined white-collar
criminals
• Blue-Collar Crime
– Occasional criminals
• Situational inducement
– Professional criminals

4. Larceny
• Petty larceny
• Grand larceny
• Shoplifting
– Controlling shoplifting
• Credit card theft
• Auto theft
– Professional car thieves
• Bad checks
– Naïve check forgers
– Systematic forgers
• Receiving and fencing stolen property

5. Burglary
• Nature and Extent of Burglary
– According to the UCR more than 2.1
million burglaries occur each year
– Burglary rates have increased 2% since
2002
• Careers in Burglary
– The “good burglar”

6. Arson
• Willful, malicious burning of a home,
public building, vehicle, or
commercial building
– 50,000 arsons reported annually
– Some arsonists are emotionally
disturbed
– Some arsonists are professionals who
set fires to gain profit

7. White-Collar Crimes
• Business frauds and swindles
– Ponzi schemes
• Chiseling
– Professional chiseling
– Financial chiseling
• Exploitation

8. White-Collar Crimes
• Influence peddling
– Influence peddling in government
– Influence peddling in criminal justice
– Influence peddling in business
• Embezzlement
• Client fraud
– Health care fraud
– Tax evasion

9. White-Collar Crimes
• Corporate crime
– Illegal restraint of trade
• Sherman Antitrust Act
– Price fixing
– Deceptive pricing
– False claims advertising

10. Green-Collar Crimes
• Defining Green-Collar Crime
– Legalist
– Environmental justice
– Biocentric

11. Types of Green Crime
• Worker Safety/Environmental Crimes
– Illegal Logging
– Illegal Wildlife Exports
– Illegal Fishing
– Illegal Dumping and Polluting
• Criminal environmental polluting

12. Theories of White-Collar and
Green-Collar Crimes
• Rational Choice: Greed
– Lure
• Rational Choice: Need

13. Theories of White-Collar and
Green-Collar Crimes
• Rationalization/Neutralization View
• Cultural View
• Self-Control View

14. Class Discussion/Activity
Discuss which of the criminological theories
fits best for green-collar criminals:
•Rational Choice
– Greed
– Need
•Cultural
•Self-Control
•Others?

15. Controlling White-Collar and
Green-Collar Crime
• Environmental Laws
– Clean Water Act (1972)
– Emergency Panning and Community
Right-to-Know Act (1986)
– Endangered Species Act (1973)
– Oil Pollution Act (1990)
• Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA)

16. Controlling White-Collar and
Green-Collar Crime
• Deterrence versus Compliance
– Compliance strategies: Methods of
controlling white-collar crime that rely on
the threat of economic sanctions or civil
penalties to control potential violators
– Deterrence strategies: Methods of
controlling white-collar crime that rely on
punishment to deter would-be violators