Broadly speaking there are two kinds of crimes that are committed against a state, county or city. The two categories are blue-collar crimes and white-collar crimes. In the olden days, blue-collar crimes referred to crimes committed by an individual considered to be of low socioeconomic standing. To be precise, these were crimes committed by people of the working class. Today, these kinds of crimes are the kind of crimes attributable to rage or emotion (even though there are exceptions) and which entail the use of violence. In most cases, blue-collar crimes are not as calculated as white-collar crimes. Examples of blue-collar crimes are burglary, sex crime, drug crimes, rape to mention but a few. White-collar crimes were initially defined this way because the notion was that they were committed by people of higher socioeconomic standings, or even if they were the working class they held high-ranking managerial positions. The name white collar is derived from the dress code these people and their occupations, namely collared shirts, ties, and suits. These are the kind of crimes that happen mostly in a business environment, and rarely are violence used. They are also referred to as paper crimes; examples include forgery, wire fraud among others. White-collar crimes are as damaging to the society as blue-collar crimes and should be punished severely. It is crucial to note that the terms white collar crimes and blue collar crimes are rarely used to make distinctions of crimes legally.
The severity of the sentences in blue-collar crimes is dependent on the kind of offense and what transpired when it happened. Essentially, almost all kinds of blue-collar crime will involve a confrontation with a weapon. There is a high possibility of a person getting maimed or dying. This makes the sentences meted out to those who commit blue-collar crimes, much stiffer in comparison to the ones given to those who commit white-collar crimes. In addition, those who are charged with white-collar crimes are incarcerated in maximum-security correctional facilities, due to the perceived flight risk they pose to the correctional facility officials. They are also a threat to the society with scores to settle. It is hard to get parole or probation on blue-collar crime cases (Aspen, 2013). All this is different from white-collar crime where there is rarely a confrontation nor is there the use of violence or a weapon. Secondly, white-collar offenders rarely are incarcerated in the kind of tight security correctional facilities that blue-collar offenders end up serving their terms.
In both kinds of crimes like in almost all cases being investigated for prosecution, the perpetrators rarely accept responsibility to save the time and resources used in the trial. Instead, they wait for the verdict of the law courts. Both blue-collar criminals and white collar criminals do not want to go straight to jail and would prefer going through a trial. Perhaps this is the result of the legal counsel, the right of every citizen, and the individual’s rights read to them during the arrest by law enforcers.
White-collar crimes are also not easily proven during prosecution compared to blue-collar crimes. Most of the time the accused or defendant uses treachery to access a resource from another fraudulently. The victim and the perpetrator have already entered into a kind of relationship by the time the crime is being committed, and these kinds of criminals know very well how to do away with evidence that might lead to their successful prosecution. For example, an illiterate person or an artist might entrust a knowledgeable person such as an attorney with his or her property before realizing latter that they have been defrauded (Aspen, 2013). Such victims have little proof that meets the threshold of successful prosecution or that can be admitted in a court of law. This is not so for blue-collar crimes where the rate of successful prosecution is higher. Take the example of a state like Minnesota where over fifty percent of all blue-collar crimes were successfully prosecuted, with the exception of rapes (Aspen, 2013). Rape is an exceptional case given the nature of the crime and the kind of evidence required for successful prosecution, which has to be obtained in a very short span of time.
Blue-collar crimes are not as intricately organized as white-collar crimes. Picture the setting up of phony companies (by an employee) that are to be utilized in generating invoices for the approval of payments from an employer, then compare this to a carjacking or bank robbery. The latter examples, (blue-collar crimes) are much easier to organize and undertake provided the victims are unable to defend themselves or get away (Aspen, 2013). The illustration implies that resources or special access are necessary to successfully carryout a white-collar crime. For blue-collar crimes, that is not the case. Most people who commit blue-collar crime use force to gain access to their victims. Another notable contrast between these two is that victims of white-collar crime do not have to be present at the location where a crime is committed unlike victims of blue-collar crimes. The damage caused to a victim by a perpetrator of blue-collar crime is mostly physical and monetary, while white-collar criminals harm their victims financially sparing them the physical harm. Much of the harm done by those who commit white-collar crimes is the transfer of monetary gain directly or through intellectual property. A tax evader empowers himself or herself financially by criminal means and deprives the authorities the much-needed revenue (Theydiffer, 2015).
There is no harm to the individuals directly, but think of a police service that does not have enough resources because of this tax evader. An artist defrauded of his or her rightful revenue by an attorney representing them or a recording label losses the morale to go on churning out hits or creative lyrics which stifles further creativity in the society. The losses cannot be understated.
A similarity is between these two types of crimes is that they are both punishable according to the law. An internet scammer will serve a sentence just in the same way as a burglar or a robber. The other similarity is that most blue collar, as well as white-collar crimes, are serious offenses that require a comprehensive litigation process complete with legal counsel with implications on the reputation of the accused if successfully prosecuted. Picture an individual who has served a sentence of forgery or of robbing a bank, he or she has lost the trust that could have enabled them to get hired. The same kind of consequences by the society on people who perpetrate two different kinds of crimes.
For many years, white-collar crimes earn the perpetrators fines and minimal jail sentences rarely exceeding six years. This is not so for blue-collar crimes where longer prison sentences are the norm and rarely is there the option of a fine. All this is the result of the notion that blue-collar crimes are making city streets unsafe and should be heavily penalized to deter their surge. It is time the same was applied for white-collar crime. Even though they (the people perpetrating white collar crimes) do not physically harm people in the course of committing their original crimes, but they end up forming gangs and fueling blue collar crimes especially to eliminate threats and to expanding their business. Think of extortion and blackmail cartels.
Global connectivity also means that most white collar crimes are committed on an international scale, and the proceeds invested in activities that feed blue collar crimes for example the trade in narcotics and human trafficking. Stiffer penalties have to be imposed on those who commit white-collar crimes knowing that they will get off lightly after enriching themselves. These criminals are also sabotaging entrepreneurs who create jobs. To sum up, white collar crime is more harmful to the society than they appear to be; harsher sentences need to be instituted to counter the surge of this kind of crime. The current trend where those who commit blue-collar crimes have a higher chance of being successfully prosecuted and serve longer sentences is not helpful at all.
References
Aspen, S. (2013). White collar or blue? Differences in criminal law. Retrieved from http://www.attorneynegotiationcenter.com/white-collar-or-blue-differences-in-criminal-law/
Theydiffer. (2015). Difference between White-Collar crime and Blue-Collar crime. Retrieved from http://theydiffer.com/difference-between-white-collar-crime-and-blue-collar-crime/
