For many reasons, the federal government's efforts to control white collar crime have clearly been unsuccessful. Funding and staffing levels have been reduced for federal regulatory agencies in recent years. Federal safety regulations have been eviscerated or completely eliminated. There has traditionally been an incestuous relationship between business and those who head federal regulatory agencies. Few meaningful sanctions are levied against white collar criminals.
Warnings are the most common response to corporate criminality.
Fines are the second most common sanction, but they are rarely severe and are never paid by offenders in many cases. In the small number of cases where offenders are sentenced to incarceration, the average sentence is thirty-seven days. Essay Questions 1. Some authorities have argued that white collar crime would more accurately be conceived of as nothing more than aggressive, and sometimes unethical, business practices characteristic of America's capitalist economic system. Use case examples cited in the text to support your answer.