Occupational and Corporate Crime

[Page 961]Occupational crimes and corporate crimes are generally considered prominent forms of white-collar crime. Although terms such as white-collar crime, occupational crime, and corporate crime are often used interchangeably, it is important to identify distinctions among these different crimes. Occupational crimes refer to crimes perpetrated during the course of a person’s legitimate occupation by leveraging access within an organization and/or status as a trusted professional for personal gain, often at the expense of the organization itself. Occupational crime can be committed by anyone in an organization ranging from lower level employees stealing money or supplies to executives embezzling money for personal gain. In contrast to occupational crimes that focus primarily on individuals, corporate crimes refer to crimes committed by a company through the collective harmful ...