Most people have heard the terms “white collar crime” and “blue collar crime.” But what exactly does that mean? In this article we will be taking a look at how the type of crime committed is often assumed to be linked to one’s social status, and whether or not that has any impact on how those convicted of “colored collar crimes” are punished.
The phrase “white-collar crime” was coined in 1939 by Edward Sutherland. In a speech addressed to the American Sociological Society, he defined a “white collar crime” as a “crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.” These types of crimes tend to include money. Examples would be Embezzlement, Fraud, Tax Evasion and Computer Crimes.
The term “blue collar crime” came later, as a direct juxtaposition to the social status of those committing white collar crimes. However, the term “blue collar’ was actually coined in the 1920s. Blue collar crimes are defines as being the crimes most commonly committed by people who work “blue collar” jobs. In other words, people who work in manual labor positions, industry and factory jobs, and jobs that require hands-on skill sets, like construction and auto-mechanics.
Because blue collar workers are not thought of as having access to the same resources as white collar workers, the crimes that they are primarily accused of committing tend to be more immediate and personal in nature. Examples of blue collar crimes would include Armed Robbery, Murder, Assault, and Larceny.
In recent years, as the job market has expanded and diversified, the types of jobs available have becomes far more varies, and so too have their “collar colors.” For example, doctors and lawyers are sometimes referred to as “gold collar workers”, while “pink collar worker” is the term used to describe jobs that were traditionally viewed as women’s work, like secretaries, nurses and teachers.
The question, however, is whether or not this assignation of “collar color” has any effect on how a person is punished by the criminal justice system. Research theorizes there may be. According to an article published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on incarceration and social inequality, one’s social status plays a role in how frequently and for how long one can expect to be imprisoned.
“Although the article explains that the inequality is often invisible because “institutionalized populations commonly lie outside our official accounts of economic well-being. Prisoners, though drawn from the lowest rungs in society, appear in no measures of poverty or unemployment. As a result, the full extent of the disadvantage of groups with high incarceration rates is underestimated.” The result they say, is just more of the same.”Mass incarceration thus deepens disadvantage and forecloses mobility for the most marginal in society.”
The implication here is that while social class affects the types of crimes one is for likely to commit, it also affects how those crimes are punished. In other words, the theory is that people with lower incomes are more likely to be incarcerated for longer periods of time. This may be in part because their crimes are considered to be more violent or that the offenders are repeat offenders and also in part because they tend to be the portion of the population less likely to be able to afford quality legal help.
In addition, it seems that the “collar color” of the victim might also play a role in deciding punishment. According to Scott Phillips, a sociology and criminology professor at the University of Denver, there is a direct correlation between the imposition of death sentences and the social status of a murder victim. This study was conducted in Texas, but is assumed to reflect criminal justice on a larger scale across the nation.
In a study published in the Law & Society Review, Phillips revealed that when the victim of a crime is a “high status” individual (white, gold or even pink collar workers) the punishment is considerably more severe than when the victim is from a lower class (blue, black and scarlet collar workers).
Because we are attorneys and not researchers, we are not qualified to agree or disagree with this theory. However, we can say without a doubt that whatever the color of your collar, or the type of crime you are accused of, your experienced Kronzek Firm defense attorney will provide you with trusted, experienced and aggressive criminal defense. We have been defending people from all walks of life for decades. We can help you too.