TYPES OF CRIME
So far we have been looking at the kinds of offenses most people think about
with they think of crime. We now look at some types of crime that tend to be
forgotten or not thought of as crime.
What is crime
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In groups write down as many things that you think
of as crime. You have five minutes.
Group the crimes into categories
 Violence
 Theft
 Sexual
assault
 Finance
Which group was the biggest?
What is crime?
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Most people think of murder, theft and violent
assault when they think of crime.
This is because these are the crimes most people
are afraid of.
Statistics, TV programs and books focus on these
crimes.
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People forget that there are other types of crime.
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These crimes are less likely to be reported.
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These crimes are more likely to be committed by
members of the upper or middle class (think back to
the lesson on crime statistics, why is this less likely to
be considered crime?)
Crime in the workplace
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Most jobs have chances to commit crime.
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Think of crimes your teachers could commit in school.
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Crimes you commit in your workplace are called
occupational crimes.
White collar crime
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Some occupations have greater opportunity to
commit bigger crimes.
Middle class and upper class people have greater
likely hood of working on their own.
People may give them greater trust.
The crimes that they may commit are called white
collar crime.
White collar crime
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The size of the crime can vary a lot.
It could be a supermarket worker keeping some
small amounts of money or food.
It could be a banker stealing a lot of money.
Examples of white collar crime
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Embezzlement – stealing money from a company,
for example making fake accounts.
Fraud – claiming for expenses that you haven’t had.
Fraud – claiming you have qualifications that you
don’t have.
Pilfering – stealing from the company.
Tax evasion
Bribery and corruption – offering or receiving
money in return for favours.
Occupational crime - opinions
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People often don’t thing of occupational crime as
being crime.
We even use different words, such as perks.
Occupational crimes, when found out, are often
dealt with by the company and not by the police.
This could be because of bad publicity.
Corporate Crime
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These are crimes that are committed for the
company.
They are committed with the knowledge and
approval of those running the company.
These crimes may have big consequences but also
may never be found out.
It is unusual for directors of companies to face trial
or prison.
Examples of corporate crime
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Sale of goods known to be dangerous.
Breaking health and safety rules
Polluting the environment and dumping dangerous
waste.
Companies committ corporate crime to increase their
profits.
Marxists see Corporate crime as being a result of the
capitalist system.
Victims of Corporate crime
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Consumers
Employees
The public
It is difficult to decide who to blame with corporate
crime. It is very expensive to prosecute.
Some people think there are other corporate crimes,
such as child labour and cigarette sales.
Government crime
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Government makes laws
Government can break laws
In some countries, governments are responsible for
murder, torture, imprisoning and executing their
opponents or minorities.
These acts may not be against the law in one
country but are against international law.
Homework

Use the internet to find news stories that illustrate
each type of crime.
 White
collar crime.
 Corporate crime
 Government crime
Complete the questions.
Questions
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What is meant by corporate crime?
What occupational crimes are possible for
a)doctors, b)supermarket checkout operators.
What is the difference between white collar and
corporate crime? Use examples in your answer.
Which three groups of people can be victims of
corporate crime? Give an example of corporate
crime affecting each one.
What are Marxists particularly interested in
corporate crime?