Week 4 - Social Process, White-Collar Crime

Week 4

• Social Process
• White-Collar Crime
• Classical Criminology
• Positive Criminology

This week's discussion will examine the power of labeling, as well as the differences between white-collar and street crime.

• Are labels ever desirable? What non-criminal labels might impact a person's likelihood to commit crime?
• Does labeling result from behavior or personal qualities? What might this have to do with immigration policies?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of sociological theories, such as differential association, anomie, and strain, in their ability to explain blue-collar and white-collar crimes? Do these theories better explain blue-collar crimes than white-collar crimes? Why?
• It has been suggested that white-collar crimes are motivated by "classical" factors, while street crimes are primarily "positive" in nature. Explain why you agree or disagree with this statement.