Beyond General Deterrence in White Collar Crime: Empirical Evidence and Theoretical Perspectives

The authors address the reasons for the emphasis on general deterrence in the study of white collar crime and punishment, and they challenge commonly held beliefs that have led to the exclusion of white collar offenders from policy discussions of deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. Using a sample of offenders convicted of white collar crime, they show that white collar offenders are often repeat offenders with serious criminal records. The authors contend that white collar offenders may be particularly influenced by criminal justice prosecution and sanctions, and they discuss theoretical issues in punishment of white collar crime and the need for further research on white collar criminal careers. 44 references, 11 notes, and 4 tables