This document provides an overview of a research proposal on white-collar crime. It discusses definitions of white-collar crime, types of white-collar crimes, and theoretical frameworks for studying white-collar crime, including criminal-based and crime-based viewpoints. It also outlines objectives, research questions, and methodology for the proposed study, which will examine differences in jail adjustment between white-collar criminals and other criminals based on factors like age, socioeconomic status, criminal history, race, gender, and mental illness. The study aims to test two hypotheses: 1) that white-collar criminals will fare worse in jail than other criminals, or 2) that white-collar criminals will fare better in jail than other criminals.

1. Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology Islamabad
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Submitted by: Rebekah Samuel
Submitted to: Ma’am Arooj Malik
Class: BBA 5th A
Research topic: White Collar Crime.
Abstract
White-collar crime is one of the least understood and debatably most important of all crime types. This
review highlights and assesses recent (primarily during the past decade) contributions to white-collar
crime theory (with special emphasis on critical, choice, and organizational theories of offending), new
evidence regarding the sentencing and punishment of white-collar offenders, and controversies
surrounding crime prevention and control policies. Several promising new directions for white-collar
crime research are identified, as are methodological and data deficiencies that limit progress.

2. Introduction
When we hear the word “crime”, the idea that comes to our mind is some violation of law. The evolution
of this problem dates back to centuries. The crime psychologists have identified various forms of crimes
that include economic and non-economic crimes. The white-collar crimes are one of the non-economic
forms of crime.
The concept of white-collar crime has a long and debated history. Issues regarding its defining features or
characteristics have been heavily debated among criminologists so much so that no common definition
currently exists. The difficulties related with defining white-collar crime, in part, branch from the fact that
it is conceptually different from other types of crime. Specifically, white-collar crime is not an authorized,
legally recognized category; rather, it is a sociological concept that does not clearly define what actions
or activities should be included its definition. Some scholars, for example, claim that the defining features
of white-collar crime should be based on the characteristics of the criminal others maintain that the
characteristics of the actual crimes are more useful for studying and understanding white-collar crime.
Depending on which definition is used, the measurement of white-collar crime is affected—in particular,
the use of different definitions affects who is identified as a white-collar criminal and what conclusions
can be drawn about white-collar criminal.
White collar crime is a serious problem within society about which far little is known. white collar crimes
are fast evolving, encompassing a variety a broad variety of crimes, and it possesses unique traits that
differentiate it from other traditional property crimes. White collar crimes normally include crimes done
in commercial situations for commercial gain. In this regard, white collar crimes include such acts like
embezzlement, work at home scams, identity theft, mortgage fraud as well as medical fraud. research
reviews make a strong case that white-collar crimes played an important role in the origin of global
financial crisis, in line with mortgage origination fraud.
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
1. To study the concept of White-Collar Crimes in detail.
2. To Study the impact of White-Collar Crimes from country Perspective.
3. To analyses different types of white-collar crime and to find out real cause of these crimes.
4. To study the impact of White-Collar Crimes on a country economy and its effect on development
activities.
5. To suggest reorganizations in law for the enhancement of penalty.
Research Questions:
Q1: Is the crime [that lead to your current admission] a property crime?
Q2: Did you receive any money, checks, or bank deposits as a result?
Q3: Before your opinion, did you have a job in which you were assigned with money, property, or
opportunities which could be turned into money?

3. Q4: Were you able to ability the crime because of that money, property, or opportunities given by your
job?
Q5: Were you able to promise the crime because you had some special skills you developed from your
education or work?
Q6: Were you able to commit the crime because you had some special knowledge about business or
government?
Q7: Do white-collar criminals significantly differ from non-white-collar criminals in their ability to adjust
to jail life?
Literature Review
There is significant separation concerning the definition of the white-collar crimes. However, the term
generally refers to some burden dedicated by someone of high social status. The term was coined by one
of the most influential criminologists of the twentieth century, Edwin Sutherland. Griffin defined the term
as “a violation of the criminal law by a person of the upper socioeconomic class in the course of his
occupational activities”. Before this, the word crime was associated with the young men of lower social
status. However, the idea completely changed after Edwin Sutherland presented his theory. Organizations
often suffers more than the individuals due to these crimes (Wheeler et al., 1988). The different types of
white-collar crimes identified by the scholars are black mail, insider trading, theft, tax evasion, bank,
cellular phone, computer, credit card and insurance fraud (Ivancevich et al., 2008). White collar crimes
are becoming major problems for the organizations these days and in order to overcome this most of the
developed nations have formulated laws. For instance, in the United States, the white-collar criminals are
penalized with the white-collar crime enchantment act (WCCPA) 2002. On the other hand, the
criminologists do not regard these crimes as crimes for the reason that they are judged through civil law
(West and Carter, 1993). Deception and corruption are the traditional forms of white-collar crimes.
Corruption is an activity that misuses public power for private benefits. Although, not many theories have
addressed this problem, and corruption remains rampant in many developing countries (Bashir et al.,
2011), still, limited studies attempted to find out the major factors which are responsible for white collar
crimes. The present study attempts to fill the gap by identifying the factors which are primarily responsible
for white collar crimes in public sector organizations.
Crime is not a specific idea and has numerous forms amongst which white-collar crime is a comparatively
new phenomenon with little evidence (Huynh, 2010; Crim, 2008; Weisburd and Waring, 2001).
Previously in criminology, the common crimes were studied (Holtfreter et al., 2008). According to the
scholars, this subject is so varied that it attracts interest of the scholars from various fields including
psychology, economics, history, sociology, managerial sciences, etc., (Green, 2007; Friedrichs, 2004).
The term white collar crime signifies a lot of felonies, crimes and violations performed by both the
employees and the companies including theft, fraud, misusing property, corruption (Crim, 2008), false
advertising, food and drug violations, insurance frauds, etc. (Alalehto and Larsson, 2009). Generally, it is
treated as a case deviance (Weisburdb and Waring, 2001). In the recent years, the study of this subject has
gained attention and is continuously increasing (Griffin, 2002). A recent survey shows that one third of
the population is victim of these crimes (Rebovich and Jiandani 2000). The white-collar convicts are as
much into the unlawful behavior as the common delinquents (Benson and Moore, 1992). The study of
white-collar crimes in the contemporary times is critical because they are not only affecting the business
ethics but also damaging the confidence and reliability which are vital for any organization.

4. Criminal-Based Viewpoints
The most well-known definition of white-collar crime was put forth by Edwin Sutherland, who saw it as
a crime dedicated by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his profession. Such
criminals, Sutherland noted, were to be differentiated from persons of low social status, who disturb the
laws designed to regulate their occupational activity, as well as those of high social status, who promise
crimes unrelated to their occupation. With its importance on the criminal’s social status and reputation,
Sutherland’s definition is the most well-known and powerful example of the criminal-based approach to
understanding white-collar crime. In addition, Sutherland claimed that civil and administrative
defilements should also be counted as white-collar crimes.
As Benson and Simpson (2015) pointed out, “the main problem in using social status as a defining
element of crime is that it cannot then be used as an explanatory variable because it is not allowed to vary
independently of crime” (p. 9). As such, it prevents researchers from evaluating how an individual’s social
status affects the type and seriousness of white-collar crimes they promise. Additionally, adopting a
criminal-based approach makes it difficult to use official records and data, since most sources do not have
the information needed to classify people on the basis of their respectability or social status.
Crime-Based Viewpoints
In order to preparation the issues related with using criminal-based approaches, scholars began to examine
white-collar crime in a status-neutral method, with a primary focus on the illegal nature of the act. Herbert
Delbert (1970) was the first scholar to hold this standpoint, commonly discussed to as the crime-based
approach. He proposed that white-collar crime be defined as “illegal acts committed by non-physical
means and by concealment or guile to obtain money or property, to avoid payment or loss of money or
property, or to obtain business or personal advantage” (Pp. 19-20). As opposed to offender-based
definitions, then, the offense-based perspective defines white-collar crime according to the means by
which an offense is carried out—that is, in a non-physical, deceptive manner. Similarly, Shapiro posited
that a defining feature of white-collar crime is the violation of abuse or trust, and that the notion of white-
collar crime is best understood when the characteristics of offenders are separated from their
transgressions. Provocatively, she argued that researchers should focus on “collaring the crime instead of
the criminal.”
Crime-based approaches to studying white-collar crime have gained popularity among scholars for a
number of reasons. First, as Benson and Simpson (2015) explain, because crime-based definitions make
no mention of the actor’s social status or the social location of the crime, they are free to vary
independently of the act and can therefore be used as predictor variables. In other words, offense-based
definitions allow researchers to examine variation in how one’s social status influences the nature of—as
well as the social and legal response to—the white-collar crime. Second, researchers are able to compare
and determine whether white-collar offenses committed during the course of one’s occupation differ from
offenses committed in other settings. Lastly, offense-based definitions allow researchers to more easily
use official data sources when drawing samples of white-collar offenders, since they only need to identify
the individuals whose offenses meet the established criteria (e.g., non-physical crimes based on
deception).
Age

5. The inverse relationship between age and crime is well-established in criminology. By the same symbolic,
research examining jail adaptations and strength constantly documents a strong, inverse relationship
between age and such behaviors. Studies indicate that younger prisoners tend to be involved in more rule
destructions inmate-on-inmate attacks, as well as inmate-on-staff assaults (Wright & Smith). They are
also more likely to report conflicts with others in general.
Mackenzie, for example, found that the youngest prisoners in her sample (e.g., those 19 years of age or
less) received more misbehavior tickets from the institution compared to other prisoner groups, and that
this number peaked during teenage years and declined significantly thereafter. Furthermore, she observed
increased levels of anxiety for prisoners under thirty, which was accompanied by increased conflicts other
prisoners.
Race
The existing literature also suggests that prisoners’ race is a significant individual-level predictor of prison
adjustment, which may be an allowance of the race-crime relationship occurring outside the prison walls.
It found that, compared to other groups, white inmates had higher levels of depression, anxiety, and
stress—all of which have been previously linked to adaptive coping mechanisms outside of prison,
including alcohol and drug use. Thus, it could be that, as a group, white-collar criminals are especially
different from other prisoners with respect to rule infractions and deference to authority due to their racial
backgrounds.
Gender
The literature suggests that previously established gender-based differences—such as those relating to
family life and social support—are brought into the jail, which further shapes prisoners’ values, cultures,
and behaviors. Importantly, the authors also found that men and women differed in the amount of social
support they received: Compared to male prisoners, female prisoners had significantly higher levels of
social support. Thus, since most white-collar criminals are males, it could be that certain predictors are
more relevant for examining how they adjust to jail life.
Socioeconomic Status
Similar to the established relationship between SES and crime in other areas of the discipline, studies that
have examined adjustment found that prisoners with higher levels of education (e.g., beyond high school)
and prisoners who were employed before their incarceration were less likely to be written up for assaultive
and disruptive infractions, while less-educated inmates were more likely to experience jail related
stressors, including depression and anxiety. In the same way, Sappington observed a positive relationship
between education and perceived control over one’s jail environment—specifically, more education was
associated with the beliefs that (1) one might control one’s own behavior; (2) one’s actions might affect
one’s treatment; and (3) one might enjoy oneself in secure unit.
Mental Illness
Mental illness is a strong predictor of negative life outcomes—both inside and outside of jails. Depending
on the type of disorder, some prisoners may appear defenseless and, as such, may be stigmatized and
labeled by other prisoners as a suitable target to establish dominance, gain power and status, or to generate
joys while not risking their own safety. Conversely, inmates with mental disorders may engage in

6. challenging behaviors—such as beating out at others—that deviate from jail standards and obtain negative
reactions from fellow prisoners.
Criminal History
Finally, research exists to suggest that previous problem behavior is a strong predictor of future problem
behavior. Relatedly, the extent to which prisoners successfully transition to jail life may be a reflection of
their previous experiences with the criminal justice system.
Theoretical Framework:
INDEPENDENT VARIABLES DEPENDENT VARIABLES
METHODOLOGY
Age
Socioeconomic Status
Criminal History
Race
Mental Illness
Gender
Crime

7. A number of varied research methods are utilized in the study of white-collar crimes. The methods,
however are not different from those used to study other social problems. Surveys are the most-used
research strategy in studying white-collar crimes. the method includes on-site administration surveys,
face-to-face interviews, telephone and mail surveys. Surveys are aimed at gathering information from a
group of individuals and use the information gathered to draw a picture of the topic under consideration.
The strengths of having a survey method are that they occur in one setting, there is a possibility of drawing
a large sample. In addition, it is convenient and does not take long to gather information. However, the
method has a number of weaknesses, in that, it is difficult to give surveys to both offenders and victims
on-site. there are no databases for white-collar offenders’ same surveys cannot be used due to educational
differences.
Hypothesis
There are no significant differences between white-collar criminals and other criminals with respect to
sleeping difficulties, concerns for personal safety, and problems with cellmates’ significant differences
regarding general jail difficulties and difficulty making friends
H1—The Special Understanding Hypothesis: White-collar criminals will fare significantly worse in jail,
and will thus be more likely to experience negative jail outcomes compared to non-white-collar
criminals.
H2—The Special Resiliency Hypothesis: White-collar criminals will fare significantly better in jail, and
will thus be less likely to experience negative jail outcomes compared to non-white-collar criminals.