The purpose of this study is to examine the way that individuals rate the seriousness of white-collar crimes in relation to other types of crime. The contention is that individuals will rate white-collar crimes as less serious than more common street crimes. Furthermore, the belief is that individuals will show some consensus in the way in which they rank white-collar crimes, with slight variations for those offenses with little or no perceived harm. This study will progress past simply rating a general definition of crime seriousness by examining the crimes in terms of the concepts of morality and the harm associated. Replicating a study by Mark Warr, in which the concepts of crime wrongfulness and harmfulness were introduced, the author will examine the dimensions of seriousness that people use to determine the concept. This will provide an in-depth examination of the perceptions of seriousness, specifically in regards to white-collar offenses.
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