Abstract
We are pleased to bring you Volume 5, Issue 1, of the Journal of White Collar and Corporate Crime (JWCCC). The articles featured in this issue are informed by critical theoretical perspectives and employ a diverse set of methodologies and use unique data sources to provide new and engaging insights.
In the first article included in this issue, Banking on genocide: The racial disparities and patriotic politics of a massive international corruption case, John Hagan draws on the work of Garland and others to analyze large scale corruption in the case of the French BNP Paribas Bank. Notably, the analysis links elements of this case as well as other aspects of the current political environment to the handling of victim compensation in the Darfur genocide. This serves as a cautionary tale for political leaders, criminologists, and the general public.
This issue’s second contribution by Emily Homer and Michael Maume, The deterrent effect of federal corporate prosecution agreements: An exploratory analysis, sheds some much needed light on the long term effects of corporate prosecution. The authors examine sentencing data from 161 publicly traded corporations over nearly two decades. Among other salient results, the analyses reveal that larger corporate fines are associated with reduced recidivism over time, which has important implications for sentencing polices and for specific deterrence more broadly.
Vignette-based approaches have long offered promising alternatives in situations where it is challenging to obtain data on white-collar crime. In this vein, Ingilab Shahbazov, Ayshem Balayeva, Zaur Afandiyev, and Namig Karimov’s article, Comparing witness behavior between violent, property, and white-collar crime uses a university-based sample from Azerbaijan to explore crime-based differences in hypothetical reporting behaviors, finding that reporting intentions are higher for both property and violent crime than they are for white-collar crime. The authors also find that prior criminal justice system contact and lower confidence in the police reduce the likelihood of reporting behavior. These results have implications for future research on white-collar crime and policing.
In this issue’s fourth article, It happened again: Differences between single and repeat/poly-victimization among financial fraud victims, Jamie Snyder and Katelyn Golladay consider state dependence and risk heterogeneity in their analyses of Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS) data. They find some support for the concept of state dependence (i.e., that an initial victimization is a risk factor for future victimization to take place) and less support for risk heterogeneity (i.e., that certain individual characteristics make some victims more attractive targets for both initial and reoccurring victimization). The results demonstrate the importance of applying concepts from theory and research on violent crime to our understanding of fraud and other forms of financial victimization.
Finally, in The dark triad of personality: Attitudes and beliefs toward white-collar crime, authors Bethany Amos, Nicholas Longpré, and Melissa de Roos add to the growing body of literature on personality and white-collar crime with their exploratory analyses in a sample of American adults. The results show that two traits within the triarchic model of psychopathy--disinhibition and meanness—were significant predictors of attitudinal measures, while others (i.e., boldness, narcissism, and Machiavellianism) were not. Contrary to other research in this area, neither age or sex were significant demographic predictors. The authors conclude with recommendations for theory, future research, and policy, all of which may have practical implications for employment screening and prevention of white-collar crime.
Additionally, the current issue includes reviews of three recently published books, all of which focus on timely matters of interest not only to academic criminology, but also to governance and public citizens. The critical perspectives explored include but are not limited to the maintenance of stability through the promotion of inter-group conflict, the relationship between crime control and increased societal freedom, and the outcomes stemming from mismanagement of sensitive personal health data. We trust our readership will find these books engaging and thought-provoking.
Taken together, this issue’s published articles and the three books reviewed highlight the value of integrated theory, creative methodologies and data sources, and the complexities revealed through longitudinal approaches that consider historical context. We hope our readers will be inspired and encouraged by this research.