Employee Crimes

IN THE FIELD OF CRIMINOLOGY, the term employee crime, commonly referred to as occupational crime, is generally agreed to be a subtype of white-collar crime. Beginning with the coining of the term white-collar crime by Edwin H. Sutherland, the broader concept of white-collar crime has been subject to numerous definitional revisions.

For example, it is well known that Sutherland's definition of the term was “a crime committed by a person of high status and respectability, in the[Page 285] course of his occupation.” This definition immediately calls attention to the fact that the white-collar offender is by nature, legitimately employed. Although it focuses on the characteristics of the individual offender, Sutherland's most extensive study of white-collar crime actually focused on sanctions against entire organizations, rather than separate individuals.

As a result, the distinction between corporate and occupational crime emerged: corporate crime was considered to be a crime that is committed on behalf of the employing organization, while occupational or employee crime was considered to be committed against the employing organization, to the benefit of the individual. Some debate about this distinction has emerged in the field, mainly in the concern over what types of occupations should be studied. This issue is related to Sutherland's original concern with the status of high-class, respectable individuals, particularly with regard to the fact that their characteristics often render them immune from legal action.

In spite of ongoing definitional disputes, the distinction between the two forms of white-collar crime has generally been accepted. Researchers studying employee crime may focus on specific occupations, or choose to include a wider variety of offenses that may occur equally often in different occupational settings. Broader conceptualizations of employee crime tend to incorporate a large number of acts that share the characteristic of violating trust: the individual employee violates his or her employer's trust by engaging in acts that directly or indirectly victimize the place of business.