Race and gender perceptions of white collar crime

Race and Gender Perceptions of White Collar Crime

Senior Seminar

How can one expect society to act towards a crime if the lines are so vague that it often is only used to characterize those considered elite and upper class? This study attempts to further explain and clarify the perceptions of white collar crime by gender and race. It is the belief that in white collar crime white males will likely fair better in the Criminal Justice system the minorities and women. This research helps to affirm not only that there is a need for further research regarding perceptions men and women of various races regarding how they view white collar crime, but also that there is a need to see why these perceptions have not been studied extensively over the past decade. Original research will be conducted on a private housing community, in the Scotch Plains Township, to ascertain the perceptions of individuals on the subject matter. The data will then be compiled and the research analyzed and compared to the current literature to either prove or disprove the hypothesis. Once data is collected the results will be compiled and added to the research document.

Race and Gender Perceptions of White Collar Crime

Introduction

It is important to note that there is a need for current research and data concerning white collar crime and perceptions related to ethnicity and gender. While researching for previous data it has been difficult to find information within the past 7 years, most research is dated during the 1980 to 1990's. This hinders researchers showing what the impact and correlation between white-collar crime and the perception considering race and gender today compared to those dated times. There is a plethora of information concerning race and gender however there is no mention of white collar crime in those writings. This research will serve to show what current research exists as well as what testing and research can take place to clarify the hypothesis. I will conduct research on a housing community in the Township of Scotch Plains to ascertain the perceptions of individuals on the subject matter. The data will then be compiled and the research analyzed and compared to the current literature to either prove or disprove the hypothesis that white males (who benefit the most from the practice) will find white-collar crime less prevalent and damaging considering the low risk factor (Calavita,1990) then racial minorities and women.

Crime has continued to capture the attention of Americans although there has been a decrease in the number of crimes over the past decade. Much attention has been paid to the propitious drop in the nation's crime rates, and more specifically, the murder rate. An increased rate of incarceration is considered one of the key factors behind this drop, although a number of notable criminologists disagree. Incarceration is one of the major consequences for youth and young adults arrested for committing violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.(Delgado, 2001, p. 3) This decrease however has not appeased society nor has it abated one's fears of crime and its circumstances. Researchers continue to report that crimes are however densely populated in urban communities; and usually consist of black on black crimes. On the other hand, it is imperative that one accept that urban areas are not the only locations where crimes are committed. In fact, there are various types of crimes that continue to occur. The types of crimes in question are those considered white-collar crimes. (Markowitz & Jones-Brown, 2000, p. 3) White-collar criminals have been described as middle-aged men of high social status, they often live in wealthy neighborhoods, and are respected by the community. The researcher further states that those that are interested in studying white-collar crime seldom do not study these individuals nor were policy makers and other officials interested. The writing also reports on a researcher that believed that the definitions behind crime are incorrect and misleading; Weisburd also states that the criminal behaviors of those in the lower classes have been negated in previous research. (Weisburd, Waring & Chayet, 2001) in the United States, little controversy exists regarding race-based crime statistics reports Knepper (2000).