NCJ Number
214964
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 34 Issue: 3 Dated: May/June 2006 Pages: 227-235
Date Published
May 2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether the institutional anomie theory (IAT)--which holds that commitment to the "American dream" of material success contributes to high crime rates in America--applies to the white-collar crime of embezzlement.
Abstract
Of the four independent variables associated with the IAT framework--family structure, educational level, the exercise of voting rights, and unemployment--higher percentages of voter participation and higher levels of unemployment correlated with reduced rates of embezzlement in State Uniform Crime Reports, while having higher levels of high-school dropouts in a State correlated with higher rates of embezzlement. The divorce rate for a State had no impact on the rate of embezzlement. The finding on voting participation suggests that people who are committed to involvement in community life through voting for the people that will determine a government's direction are not as likely to make money and material wealth the dominant motive for their behavior. High unemployment and a lower level of embezzlement in a State suggests that people have less opportunity to "embezzle", because white-collar crimes are dependent upon being employed. Higher levels of embezzlement in States with a higher rate of high-school dropouts suggests that more people are less committed to knowledge and occupational skills as the means of gaining a legitimate income that increases buying power and wealth. The data source for the dependent variable (State Uniform Crime statistics on embezzlement) was obtained from each State's 1991 Uniform Crime Reports; and the data source on divorces, educational levels, and high-school dropouts was the U.S. Bureau of Census' 1990 Statistical Abstracts of the United States. The methods of statistical analyses are described. 2 tables and 38 references