White Collar Crime: Identifying Valid Deterrents for White Collar Criminals Recent studies suggest that white collar crime is on the rise (Chayet, Waring & Weisburg, 2001; Recine, 2002). Many stereotypical beliefs regarding white collar criminals have been debunked over time as researchers start understanding what white collar crime is and who it effects.

White collar crime affects all communities regardless of affluence, demographics, social factors or other considerations. White collar crime comes in many forms. Some traditional examples include bank fraud, blackmail, bribery, credit card fraud, extortion and more. The intent of this research is to examine what factors contribute to white collar crime and what action law enforcement officials can take to effectively deter criminals and protect citizens from fraud related to this type of crime.

Background

The term "white collar crime" was first used by Edwin Sutherland in 1939 as he addressed the American Sociological Society (Chayet, Waring & Weisburg, 1). At the time the intent was to challenge the traditional thinking that crimes only happened to disadvantaged people from "broken homes and decaying neighborhoods" (Chayet, Waring & Weisburg, 1). In fact a survey of the most popular fears and concerns in modern neighborhoods suggests that white collar crime is more of a concern that other forms of crime, particularly identity and credit card theft. As technological advances have enabled new forms of communication, so too have they enabled criminals to conduct crime more efficiently and stealthily. Most community members report some concerns regarding theft from Internet use or computer technology. Many report interest in learning what methods...

The researcher intends to perform an exploratory study to investigate community attitudes regarding white collar crime and to discern what methods are available for deterring criminals based on evidence collected from the literature review.
Literature Review

Today sociologists understand that white collar criminals may fit any demographic. Many are well respected members of the community with high social status. Still others are middle aged and often well-known members of the community (Chayet, Waring & Weisburd, 2001). In order for society to combat white collar crime effectively it must first debunk the predominant conceptions that exist of the traditional criminal.

Studies of white collar crime suggest that offenders typically seek out victims during times of crisis or times of opportunity (Chavet, Waring & Weisburd, 2001). Many white collar offenders report owning their own homes and living within stable communities; many also have steady jobs (Chavet, Waring & Weisburd, 2001). However there are an equal number of chronic white collar offenders without homes or employment histories, which fit the stereotypical profile of a criminal most people have.

Studies suggest that white collar crime theory and understanding is still in the infancy stages (Poveda, 1994). However as more criminal offenses are reported, law enforcement officials continue to identify new methods for…