White-collar crime is a term that has been applied to a wide variety of non-violent crimes that are often committed in offices and boardrooms rather than on the street. Crimes are committed by means of unlawful paper transactions rather than with weapons, by middle-class people rather than by career criminals (Sutherland, 1983). It includes the crime of fraud in its many variations, as well as violations of government regulations that might not even result in immediate harm. The term refers to crimes committed by individuals, as well as wrongs inflicted by corporate entities (which are also subject to criminal prosecution). White-collar crime is investigated and prosecuted by the federal and state governments.
For most individuals, white-collar crime is not viewed as a crime at all, because of its non-violent nature. Violent crime has an immediate and obvious impact on its victims, which raises the attention of the public, whereas white-collar crime frequently goes undetected or is viewed as a bending of the rules (Geis, 1982). White-collar crime; however, can have more of an impact than violent crimes. The victim of a violent crime can recover were as the victim of fraud can have endless impact, that can devastate his/her home, family, and even life. .
The real problem behind white-collar crime is not defining white-collar crime, but developing the appropriate means to correct this type of crime. One of the most popular white-collar crimes is embezzlement. Since I feel that this is the most harmful, and most recently exposed type of White Collar crime (Enron), I will focus mainly on this.
Embezzlement is the most popular financial crime in the nation, and is the predominant factor in the failure of all types of businesses (Barlow, 1978). Also, embezzlement is an individual crime, not just a document or technological crime. It is often the most misunderstood and complicated crime to discover, or to investigate.