In 1939, famous sociologist Edwin Sutherland defined white collar crime as crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.
This definition has been criticized by many other the years since then. For example, as a part-time criminal justice professor, I have often taken issue with Sutherland's definition because it requires that the crime must have been committed by a person of "high social status" in order to be classified as white collar crime. In my opinion, even an embezzlement committed by a low level bank teller would constitute white collar crime.
Do you agree? What is your opinion about Sutherland's definition of white collar crime?
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