NCJ Number
125746
Date Published
1988
Length
411 pages
Annotation
This book examines crimes committed by and against businesses in the United States and Great Britain and what political, economic, and organizational factors influence legislation to reduce commercial fraud.
Abstract
Behaviors that constitute commercial fraud in criminal law and in the practices of reporting, policing, prosecuting, and sentencing vary over time and place to a greater extent than more traditional property crimes such as burglary and robbery. Technological and economic changes have affected the desirability of particular forms of fraud, and the 20th century has witnessed a major expansion in recorded fraud and in the number of offenders officially dealt with for fraud. Historians disagree, however, over the extent to which rises in recorded crime reflect true increases in the amount of law breaking, the growing enthusiasm of government at all levels to find professional solutions to crime, and the increased willingness of victims from all social classes to use the police to deal with their conflicts. The rise in recorded fraud has been accompanied by business perceptions of an increased risk of fraud. Further, media interest in business crime has increased considerably since the 1960's. Even so, white collar crime has occupied a relatively low position of importance in the criminal justice system. The author presents a detailed look at the impact of and attitudes toward commercial crime; economic interests in and legal and political aspects of fraud control; and the reporting, policing, prosecution, trial, and sentencing of commercial fraud. 391 references, 26 tables.