Explain and evaluate the difficulties in defining and punishing crimes of the powerful.
In this essay I will be explaining what crimes of the powerful are and what makes them so difficult to define. I will give reasons behind what makes crimes of the powerful so hard to punish and evaluate the concepts around crimes of the powerful.
Crimes of the powerful are crimes which include white collar crime, corporate crimes and state crimes. Crime of the powerful have always existed and they encompass a broad range of criminal and harmful activities. Crime of the powerful, as the title suggests, are committed by those of a significant social, political or economic power and not by those most disadvantaged in society. Some critical criminologists would consider other crimes such as family violence and hate crimes to also fit under the umbrella term of crimes of the powerful.
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The offence committed by these people is made an opportunity through their legitimate form of employment. Some examples of white collar crime include fraud, work place theft, and embezzlement and tax violations. The sociologist Edwin Sutherland defined white collar crime as ‘crimes committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation’ (Sutherland, 1949:9)
Corporate crime can be defined as illegitimate acts or failures to fulfil moral and legal obligations that are an outcome of intentional decision making or liable negligence within a legitimate formal organisation. In 1999 sociologists Slapper and Tombs defined corporate crimes as ‘criminal acts caused by omission or commission, which were the result of deliberate decision making in order to benefit the corporations’ (Slapper and Tombs, 1999:6) Some examples of corporate crimes include crimes associated with employment relationships, financial crimes and crimes against the