White collar or blue collar crime

White-collar crimes are already well known, but this is not the case with blue-collar crimes. While the former refer to crimes committed by people belonging to the upper class making use of their privileged position in their jobs, blue collar crimes are those committed by other professionals or workers who are not part of a high social stratum.

The differentiation made between ordinary crime and white-collar crime is coined by the sociologist Sutherland. This author based this distinction on the different economic and social characteristics between "street criminals" and white-collar criminals, while the latter did not really have the slightest need to commit a socio-economic crime and, moreover, were more careful not to be caught. A white-collar criminal, in short, is someone who belongs to a high social stratum, has economic power and is in a job that makes it easier for him to commit the crime he wants to commit.

A blue-collar criminal is one who also takes advantage of his civil profession to cover up or carry out a crime, to this extent he is in the same circumstances as the white-collar criminal; however, the main difference lies in the fact that they do not belong to the high social class that white-collar criminals do.

However, blue-collar crime does not have an official legal classification, indeed, different terms are used to refer to it, among which are "professional crimes", "occupational crimes" or "respectable crimes" (the latter meaning is more frequent in South American countries). Blue-collar crime would include, for example, when a doctor supplies drugs or performs abortions without following due process; when a lawyer or law enforcement official provides advice to the contrary, i.e. to carry out criminal acts (usually by pointing out possible loopholes in the law); or when an engineer or labourer takes advantage of his position to embezzle funds in the construction of flats or houses.

On the other hand, it should be noted that blue collar crime also encompasses unfair practices by large companies and traders, and corruption by public officials. In addition, adulteration of food and beverages, customs, fiscal and monetary offences are also considered as such. In short, blue-collar crime is included in what is criminality carried out in the exercise of a public function, and may or may not be in the economic sphere.

The origin of the name is based on the colour code of the uniform of industrial workers in the 19th century. Although, from other sources, the origin is based on the police mobilisation caused by them, police officers usually wear blue uniforms.

The perception of the two crimes (white and blue collar) is different both substantively and in their economic and social impacts:

• Blue-collar crime involves a much lower cost than white-collar crime has a cost, estimated to be in the millions per year.
• Blue-collar offenders more easily capture the attention of the police and media than white-collar offenders.
• Blue-collar crimes often involve physical violence, whereas white-collar crimes are more technical and can therefore be easily hidden within an organisation. In this sense, therefore, the former tend to be detected with much less effort than the latter.
• Blue-collar crimes by nature harm fewer people than white-collar crimes. The passive party to the criminal act in the former is a specific and defined person or group of persons, but in the latter, the victims are undefined.
• Blue-collar crime is recorded at a higher rate than white-collar crime, although the black figure for white-collar crime must be taken into account here.

There are other informal classifications of crimes that fall under "collar crimes":

• Pink collar crimes: these describe embezzlement offences carried out by female operatives whose jobs are in female-dominated areas of employment. It is debated whether these would be white-collar or blue-collar offences, but the final answer boils down to one or the other depending on the job held and the theory of opportunity.
• Green-collar crime: refers to crimes committed against nature. The term can refer to an actual crime, in that it is an act that is criminalised in the country concerned, or a crime on a moral level, i.e. with no applicable penalty as it is not criminalised.
• Red-collar crime: refers to crimes committed by white-collar criminals using violence against those they believe have found out about their criminal acts. In other words, they are carried out by white-collar criminals in the face of their failure to prevent their acts from being discovered.

From a statistical point of view and, above all, from a purely informative one, it is important to have these concepts and/or classifications clear in order to be able to make a good interpretation of the infinity of news that we currently see, read or hear on television, radio and/or, especially, via the internet.

Naomi Fernanda Vílchez Loayza, criminologist and Sec2Crime collaborator in the area of Economic Crime.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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