Definition and Examples of Street Crime

Street crime, also known as conventional crime, refers to common criminal acts like theft, assault, robbery, and burglary. These types of crimes typically involve individuals committing acts of violence or deceit against strangers for monetary or other tangible gain.

Some common examples of street crimes include:

• Mugging: Robbery or assault committed in public places to steal money or valuables directly from victims.
• Breaking: Forcibly entering homes, businesses,, or other buildings with the intent to commit theft or other crimes inside.
• Petty theft: Stealing items of small monetary value like cash, electronics, or personal property directly from public areas, stores, or victims.
• Drug dealing: Selling controlled substances like marijuana, cocaine, or heroin illegally on streets or in public.
• Gang violence: Physical attacks, weapons offenses, or criminal acts of violence committed by gang members against rivals or civilian bystanders.

Street crimes are generally impulsive criminal acts carried out in public against strangers or acquaintances rather than sophisticated schemes. The perpetrators of street crimes often have substance abuse problems or associations with criminal networks or gangs.

Definition and Examples of White-Collar Crime

White-collar crime refers to non-violent, financially motivated criminal offenses that occur within a work environment. They are defined as crimes committed by business and government professionals during their occupations.

Some common examples include:

• Embezzlement: Theft of money, property, or assets that have been legally entrusted to an individual’s care, such as bank employees embezzling funds.
• Bribery: Offering money or gifts to a public official to influence their decisions or actions.
• Money laundering: The process of disguising illegally obtained money to make it appear legitimate.
• Corporate fraud: Deliberately providing false financial information or accounting data to hide costs/profits.
• Insider trading: Buying/selling stocks based on non-public information in violation of fiduciary duty.
• Tax evasion: Illegally avoiding paying income, property, or other taxes owed to the government.
• Identity theft: Stealing personal identifying information like SSN, and DOB to commit fraud.

White-collar crimes are premeditated schemes that cause significant financial harm through deception for personal or corporate gain. Perpetrators of white-collar crimes usually have higher education and occupational positions of trust.

Differences in Motivation and Intent

The motivations and intents between street criminals and white-collar criminals differ substantially. Street crimes are often motivated by more immediate needs for money, and goods or due to substance abuse issues or peer pressure. In contrast, white-collar crimes usually involve careful planning and are motivated primarily by greed or desire for more wealth and status.

Street criminals generally intend to directly threaten or harm victims during the commission of their crimes. However, white-collar criminals typically do not intend direct harm to victims their crimes rely on deception and fraud rather than violence.

Differences in Victims and Impact

Street crimes usually have direct victims who are random individuals or small businesses in a local area. In contrast, white-collar crimes often have many indirect victims including shareholders, taxpayers, consumers, and the general public. Additionally, street crimes tend to impact small neighborhoods or communities on a local scale.

However, white-collar crimes can potentially cause much broader societal and economic harm by undermining integrity and trust in entire industries, markets, or institutions. For example, a single act of large-scale corporate or political corruption could financially devastate many people.

Differences in Investigation and Prosecution

Street crimes generally involve smaller scales of theft and more visible evidence left at crime scenes so they are easier for law enforcement to investigate through patrols, surveillance, and witness cooperation.

However, white-collar crimes are more complex schemes perpetrated within legal commercial, or political systems. They can be difficult for authorities to detect, investigate, and build sufficient evidence without specialized forensic accounting, undercover operations, or collaborations with regulatory agencies.

Successfully prosecuting white-collar criminals also requires navigating complex civil/criminal legal distinctions and overcoming the high costs of white-collar defense attorneys.

Differences in Consequences Between Street Crime And White Collar Crime

One of the most notable differences between street crimes and white-collar crimes is in how the legal system handles punishments and consequences for offenders. In general:

• Sentencing: Street crimes often carry more severe potential prison sentences than equivalent financial losses from white-collar crimes. However, Repeat or violent street offenders face harsher consequences than first-time white-collar criminals.
• Fines: While both types of crime can incur fines, fines for white-collar crimes frequently amount to just a fraction of total profits made through schemes. Maximum fines rarely act as a deterrent to large corporations.
• Incarceration: Prison time is almost guaranteed for many violent street crimes but remains somewhat uncertain for major white-collar crimes despite destroying many more lives through the macroeconomic damage caused.
• Collateral consequences: Violent criminals face ongoing limits to employment, housing, and voting rights after serving time. In contrast, white-collar criminals often re-enter high-level careers with few professional restrictions once fines are paid.
• Restitution: Restoring stolen goods to victims is straightforward for muggings or burglaries. But ensuring full restitution to all harmed by Ponzi schemes or accounting fraud that bankrupts companies is nearly impossible.
• Public stigma: Violent street offenders face far greater public contempt while white-collar criminals may garner some sympathy as non-violent with money troubles.

Case Studies of Famous Street Crimes

1977 New York City Blackout Looting

On July 13, 1977, a power failure plunged most of NYC into darkness for over 24 hours. Widespread looting and arson occurred in disadvantaged neighborhoods like Brownsville and Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Over 1,600 stores were looted and hundreds of arrests were made in the aftermath. The social unrest highlighted longstanding tensions around poverty, race, and policing.

1992 Los Angeles Riots

Spread over 6 days in April-May 1992, the LA riots began after four white police officers were acquitted of beating black motorist Rodney King.

Widespread looting, arson, and destruction took place across the city. Over 60 people died during the unrest and damages totaled around $1 billion. The riots again brought issues of race, policing, and inequality to the national spotlight.

2011 London Riots

Triggered by the police shooting of Mark Duggan, violent riots erupted across London and other English cities in early August 2011. Over 5 days, thousands of perpetrators engaged in looting electronics, arson attacks, and physical clashes with police that resulted in over 2,000 arrests.

The riots highlighted socioeconomic deprivation and lack of opportunity faced by many UK youths.

Bling Ring Burglaries (2008-2009)

A group of affluent Santa Monica teenagers, including Rachel Lee and Nick Prugo, engaged in celebrity home invasions targeting Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom, Lindsay Lohan, and others. They used public photos on social media to identify when homes were unoccupied to steal over $3 million in clothing, jewelry, and other goods. The highly publicized case brought attention to crime for profit via obsession with fame and luxury goods.

As these examples show, mass unrest street crimes are often tied to underlying frustrations around social inequities that are exacerbated during periods of crisis, while organized theft rings increasingly exploit fame/status through social media to target high-profile victims. Both dynamics reflect broader societal issues left unaddressed.

Case Studies of Famous White-Collar Crimes

Enron Scandal (2001)

Enron, an energy conglomerate, hid billions in debt through off-balance sheet vehicles and manipulated California’s electricity market. When revealed, it became the largest bankruptcy in history at the time with $70 billion lost. Executives like Ken Lay and Jeffery Skilling were convicted of fraud but many only served short sentences.

Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme (2008)

Wealth manager Bernie Madoff conducted the largest Ponzi scheme ever, estimated at $64.8 billion. He pleaded guilty to 11 felony counts and was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Thousands of investors lost their life savings, including many prominent charities. It exposed flaws in SEC oversight of financial institutions.

LIBOR Rate-Rigging Scandal (2012)

Major global banks including Barclays, UBS, and RBS were fined billions for manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) – the benchmark interest rate for trillions in financial products worldwide between 2005-2010. It highlighted the lack of integrity in estimating self-reported rates.

Panama Papers Leak (2016)

Millions of documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca revealed how the wealthy use offshore companies to launder money, dodge sanctions, and evade taxes. It showed how professional enablers help facilitate global corruption and financial secrecy on a vast scale, sparking public anger towards tax havens.

As these scandals demonstrate, white-collar crimes caused significantly greater financial harm but received comparatively light punishment due to complex schemes and influence over authorities and political processes. Reforms are still needed for proper deterrence against crimes of such scale and societal impact.

Understanding the Distinctions Between White-Collar Crime and Street Crime

There are several important distinctions to understand between white-collar crime and street crime:

• Motivation: Street crime is often motivated by immediate needs like money for drugs or maintaining a criminal lifestyle. White-collar crime usually involves long-term planning for greed, power, or corporate interests.
• Victims: Street crimes typically have direct victims, while white-collar crimes have diffuse indirect victims like employees, shareholders, taxpayers, and entire industries or economies.
• Impact: Though street crimes harm individuals, white-collar crimes can potentially do much greater damage through financial losses, bankruptcies, reduced market integrity, and more.
• Visibility: Street crimes occur publicly and leave observable evidence, making them easier for police to detect. White-collar crimes use deception within legal systems and leave few visible traces.
• Investigation: Street crimes rely on police work while white-collar investigation requires auditors, regulators, forensic accountants, and undercover personnel with business expertise.
• Prosecution: While street crime laws are clear-cut, prosecuting complex white-collar schemes faces challenges around navigating civil/criminal distinctions and high-powered defense attorneys.
• Consequences: Punishments for white-collar crime rarely outweigh profits and street criminals face far greater collateral consequences post-conviction.

Recognizing these stark differences in how the crimes are motivated, committed, covered up, investigated, prosecuted, and punished provides an important context for reforming laws and regulations. It also helps the public better grasp the often obscured realities and tolls of different types of criminal acts.

The Effects of Street Crime vs. White Collar Crime

While both street crime and white-collar crime have negative consequences, they tend to impact society in distinct ways:

Street Crime Effects:

• Creates a general sense of fear and unease in public spaces. People may avoid certain areas out of safety concerns.
• Increases costs for individuals and businesses through insurance, security systems, and lost property/wages from victimization.
• Hurts property values and deters investment in crime-stricken neighborhoods, perpetuating cycles of poverty.
• Places major strains on law enforcement and incarceration systems. Large portions of budgets go towards patrolling high-crime areas and housing prisoners.
• May disrupt community cohesion and trust in government if crime rates spike and justice does not seem equally enforced.

White Collar Crime Effects:

• Undermines integrity and trust in entire industries, markets, and financial/political institutions on a systemic level.
• Often causes widespread economic damage through asset losses, bankruptcy, reduced investments, unemployment, and decreased tax revenue.
• Hits taxpayers and shareholders especially hard through bailouts, pension losses, and overpayments due to fraud.
• Distorts market competition when crimes are used for unfair advantages over competitors.
• Imposes “luxury taxes” on consumers through price fixing, product flaws, bailouts, and reduced innovation/mobility.
• Threatens broader social stability if crimes seem to pay off lavishly without consequence while most citizens struggle.

If You Are Accused of a Street Crime or White Collar Crime

Being accused of any crime can be a frightening and stressful experience. However, there are some important differences to keep in mind depending on whether you are facing accusations related to street crimes or white-collar crimes:

If Accused of a Street Crime:

• Work with a criminal defense attorney immediately. Do not speak to the police without legal representation.
• Your attorney can help mitigate any charges, negotiate a plea deal if appropriate, or build a defense strategy if going to trial.
• Be prepared for a swift judicial process from arrest to trial depending on the charges. Gather any evidence or witnesses that could help your case.
• Street crimes have clearly defined laws but consequences can be severe, including jail time. Cooperating fully with your lawyer is critical.

If Accused of a White Collar Crime:

• Retaining white-collar defense counsel with expertise in financial crime is imperative. The laws are complex.
• Do not disclose anything to employers, colleagues, or investigators until consulting your attorney. Anything said can be used against you.
• The process tends to move more slowly as investigators build comprehensive financial paper trails. This time allows strong defense preparation.
• Consequences, while potentially devastating, are more variable. Well-funded lawyers may help negotiate non-criminal resolutions where possible.
• Do not attempt to repay any disputed amounts or destroy documents without legal guidance. This could constitute obstruction of justice.