A white-collar crime refers to crimes committed by business people, entrepreneurs, professionals, or public officials. It was a term first coined by Edwin Sutherland who defined the term as “crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation” (Sutherland 1974) and was the first to bring attention to the matter. White-collar crimes are different then street crimes because they are through deception and not force or violence. There has been much debate as to what qualifies as a white-collar crime, the term today generally describes a variety of non-violent crimes usually committed in commercial situations for financial gain. Many white-collar crimes are especially difficult to prosecute because the perpetrators are sophisticated criminals who have attempted to conceal their activities through a series of complex transactions. (Bologna 1984) My essay will attempt to address why white collar crime is perceived as less serious than street crime and why it should not be. To answer the question entirely, we have to look at the definition white

Another reason why white collar crime is perceived as less serious than street crime is the lack of stiff sentences for the offenders involved. The reactions towards a regular crime and white collar crime are greatly different. How would we react towards a person being tried for killing another person? That would warrant the death penalty. But how are we to try McDonald’s, “who are being sued for widely promoting and selling foods which are linked to serious diseases such as cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes which are in turn responsible for nearly three-quarters of premature deaths in the western world?” (Anonymous 2003)

Let us look at why the problem of definition has arisen. Firstly, the term ‘White Collar Crime’ lacks in clarity about the crimes that were documented by Edwin Sutherland. The argument was that the corporate activities that were documented in his book were merely civil matters and not crimes. Critics felt that Sutherland was trying to stretch the term ‘crime’ too far. Secondly, it was felt that Sutherland had inaccurately or rather had not been able to term correctly which crimes committed qualified as white collar. Some cases in his book have been found not guilty of the crime and Sutherland had claimed that this was due to the leniency of the regulatory and enforcement bodies. Such remarks were of course unsubstantiated and thus the definition of white collar crime has been cast in further doubt, even till today. (Sutton, Haines 2003)

“In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, consumer groups and members of the public have reported receiving unsolicited e-mail messages, which urge people to donate money to the Red Cross or to funds for victims of the attacks and their families. Some of these e-mails are being sent by people with a sincere desire to help, and contain accurate information. Many, however, have tried to persuade people to leave valuable personal or financial data, such as credit-card numbers, at Internet Websites that do not belong to legitimate charitable organizations. In addition, some reports indicate that telemarketers operating fraudulent "sweepstakes" or magazine-subscription schemes may be falsely promising consumers that a portion of their money will be provided to the disaster recovery efforts.” (Anonymous 1 FBI 2003)

As a result of the differences in the perceptions of white collar crime, the man will get a death sentence since it is classified as murder, and McDonald’s gets away due to their endless stream of profit which pays for the best legal advice. Incarceration rates greatly effect the differential perceptions of white-collar crime compared to other types of crime. According to the American Bar Association (ABA), 91 percent of those convicted of bank robberies go to jail while only 17 percent of those convicted of embezzlement of bank funds go to jail. Remember, both c

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