White-Collar Crime In The United States: A Challenge For The 21^st Century

Crime has always been a great concern of American public. The public, influenced by the media and the FBI reports, focuses its fears on traditional street crimes such as assault and robbery. In 1939, sociologist Edwin Sutherland first introduced the concept "white-collar crime" and the criminal behavior of the powerful and rich began to catch attention from academia and society. In December, 2001, Enron--the once seventh-largest company on the Fortune 500—filed for bankruptcy protection and triggered a wave of financial scandal, bringing the white-collar crime issue from shadow to spotlight.This thesis is to further the perception of this social problem, which provides a marvelous perspective to better understand the American society and culture.This thesis is composed of two parts. The first three chapters provide a general introduction to white-collar crime in the United States, explaining the social and cultural causes of white-collar crime in the United States; listing its in economic, environmental and human and social harms; tracing the transformation of the public attitudes towards white-collar crime; and analyzing the characteristics of the white-collar crime in America in the 21st century and its possible trends.The second part is a case study of Enron with the conjuncted cases of 2001-2004 to further the study in a more specific way. Not only did it bring about huge economic losses, it also triggered a trust crisis. The Enron case, in conjunction with related cases has led to a fundamental transformation of the public perception of white-collar crime. Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed and urges to enhance ethics level are increasingly demanded. And some features emerging with the Enron et al. cases indicate greater challenges to deter white-collar crime, in particular, corporate crime in the 21st century.