Deck 10: Opportunities and Situational Prevention of White-Collar Crime: Using Legal and Extra-Legal Controls

Question 1

In order to reduce crime, situational crime prevention theory recommends the use of four basic strategies. Choose two of the strategies and describe them with an example.

Answer 1

The four strategies are:
Increase the effort needed to commit the crime
Increase the risk of committing the crime
Reduce the rewards of the crime
Remove excuses

Question 2

White-collar crimes have three distinctive characteristics - legitimate access, superficial appearance of legitimacy, and spatial separation. How do these characteristics make it more difficult to control white-collar crimes compared to ordinary street crimes?

Answer 2

These characteristics make it difficult to white-collar crime in a couple of ways. For one thing, the appearance of legitimacy makes the crimes hard to discover, and even if they are discovered the offender's ambiguous state of mind makes it difficult to prove in court beyond a reasonable doubt that the person intended to commit a crime. Surveillance is hard. The presence of legitimate access means that we can't use a lot of standard crime prevention strategies such as blocking access. Spatial separation between victims and offenders means that offenders can easily avoid feeling bad about the harm that they impose on others because they never see it directly.

Question 3

Discuss why white-collar offenders are particularly susceptible to the "threat of exposure" as a potential cost of their crime(s).

Answer 3

White-collar offenders see themselves as upstanding and morally right - it would be incongruent with their identity to be charged and convicted of wrongdoing. Additionally, they have more to lose (social standing, employment, money) if exposed.

Question 4

The book argues that one of the best ways that regulation can help control white-collar crime is by:

A) Punishing wrongdoers through incarceration
B) Setting very high monetary fines for violations, making them not cost efficient in the eyes of business leaders
C) Increasing transparency, making it harder for white-collar offenders to deceive others or hide their activities
D) Establishing a moral code and then encouraging businesses to live up to that code

Question 5

The textbook argues that as a means of preventing white-collar crime, licensing and certification requirements illustrate what type of standard situational crime prevention principle?

A) Increasing the risk of detection
B) Reducing the rewards associated with the offense
C) Increasing the effort required to commit the offense
D) Increasing the sanctions for the offense

Question 6

As discussed in the textbook, situational crime prevention theory holds that the best way to prevent or reduce white-collar crime is to alter its opportunity structure in certain ways. Which of the following would not be a correct way of altering a white-collar crime opportunity structure according to situational crime prevention theory?

A) Increasing the amount of effort required to commit the offense
B) Increasing the risk of detection
C) Reducing the rewards associated with the offense
D) Hiring more police officers to patrol the streets

Question 7

Regulations can reduce opportunities for white-collar crime by setting the parameters and restrictions of who can have "legitimate" access to victims and their information.

Question 8

According to the book, increasing consumer education about potential frauds and other forms of white-collar crime is a form of ______ according to routine activities theory.

A) Enhancing offender motivation
B) Target hardening
C) Reducing guardianship

Question 9

Extralegal social controls include:

A) Socialization about what is right and wrong
B) Shaming by one's community
C) Regulations
D) A and B only
E) A and C only

Question 10

According to Situational Crime Prevention Theory, offenders view crimes as more attractive to commit if:

A) They are complex crimes
B) The environment is not supportive of the crime
C) The crime offers appealing rewards

Question 11

Situational Crime Prevention Theory suggests that offenses which can easily be justified are ______ likely to occur.

A) More
B) Less

Question 12

According to Situational Crime Prevention Theory, offenders view crimes as more attractive to commit if:

A) The crime is easy to commit
B) The crime is likely to be detected by authorities
C) The crime is difficult to commit

Question 13

According to the book, practices that are likely to reduce white-collar crime opportunities are those that (check all that apply):

A) Make it harder for offenders to maintain superficial appearance of legitimacy
B) Reduce white-collar jobs in order to reduce white-collar crime opportunities
C) Make having a "guilty mind" or criminal intent more obvious

Question 14

The book notes that there are at least two consequences that offenders consider when weighing the costs and benefits of white-collar crime. These consequences are:

A) Legal consequences
B) Occupational consequences
C) Time consequences

Question 15

An example of reducing the potential reward for a white-collar crime, given in the book, was:

A) Reducing the amount of money for a CD
B) Using data analytics to find farmers engaging in crop insurance fraud
C) Using multiple signatures to case or move money over a certain amount

Question 16

The pressure to pursue the American Dream creates a constant source of motivation for white-collar crimes.