White Collar Crime - Assignment Example

The concept of white-collar crime, which is a major area of study in criminology, was put forward in 1939 by Edwin Sutherland, a renowned criminologist. White-collar crime more often includes crimes like occupational fraud and cheating, and more specifically speaking, it includes “fraud, bankruptcy fraud, bribery, insider trading, embezzlement, computer crime, medical crime, public corruption, identity theft, environmental crime, pension fund crime, RICO crimes, consumer fraud, occupational crime, securities fraud, financial fraud, and forgery” (Karri & Associates).

The concept nowadays is often related to the socio-economic status of an individual involved in the crime. A white-collar crime, performed either through a computer or through paper, is often committed by people belonging to the middle class or the upper class because people get influenced by their origins. Also, since they belong to high social status, the crime may go undetected. The only thing that distinguishes the white-collar crime from a low-class crime is that it is implemented in a different way and at a different level.