What can be done to reduce occupational crime?
Answers
The first solution is severe punishment to the offenders through the criminal justice system, often involving long jail terms and large fines. Newer approaches are also developing. If criminal deterrence is not enough, public approaches known as 'social-based' policies may lower the rate as well. These social-based policies tap into the nation's obsession with social media. Social media uses include public shaming of the individual or the company and calling for boycotts on products from these individuals and companies. Civil suits and class action lawsuits present another manner of deterrence. A final and newer solution is called 'cooperation credit'. Using this method, law enforcement gives protection to whistle blowers or offers lesser sentences to the lesser criminals in order to get the biggest criminal or the head of the crime ladder. The method also allows the company to compensate those injured by the action and create solutions to the problem in order to satisfy the government.
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Occupational crime first started being reported in the early19th Century. It appeared to have occurred in almost every occupation within legitimate jobs (Tobias, 1972:10). Today there is no correct estimation of the amount of people committing occupational crime due to many cases being unreported and uncovered. In 1967 it was estimated in the US, that the total figure of white collar crime amounted to around $21,billion, compared to $600,million resulting from conventional crime (Sutherland, 1967:194). To present how many people indulge in occupational crime, criminologists predict between 75 and 92per cent of the US regularly take part (Cort, 1959; Horning, 1970; Laird, 1950; Zeitlin, 1971:1).
A definition of occupational crime is as follows:” Occupational crime consists of offences committed by individuals for themselves in the course of their occupations and the offences of employees against their employers” (Clinnard and Quinney, 1995:385).
Ditton and Henry, (1977:56). Identify four types of occupational deviance. Firstly, informal rewards, which include fiddles, discounts, use of company phone and more. Secondly, work avoidance including arriving late. Thirdly, employee deviance against the organisation such as stealing and fraud. Fourthly, employee deviance for the organisation for example, failure to observe safety organisations.
Occupational crime is therefore committed by normal people who have jobs. It can be committed on your own, or in groups. It is a very widespread activity. Occupational crime is committed for personal gain. The theories behind this will now be explored.
Control theories propose that it is in human nature to commit. It is in our natural tendency unless otherwise restrained. Control Theories believes “Individuals commit crime because of the weakness of forces restraining them from doing so, not because of the strength of forces driving them to do so.”(Vold & Bernard, 1986:84). Control theories can be traced to deviant backgrounds or if there is a physical opportunity available. The theory believes that anyone will steal if given the chance, (Lipman 1973, McCullough, 1981:66)”.
Opportunity is a prone deviancy factor. For example, O’Brien, 1977:58-Discusses garage scams. Customers can’t judge service or repairs needed. Garages can perform incomplete service or charge for bogus repairs. Install used or inferior parts but charge for premium ones. Replace parts unnecessarily. Cars break down more frequently than they otherwise would, result in further costs. Garages that perform this way are more likely to be successful.
Garage owners have a clear open opportunity to commit occupational crime. The rewards would be more money. The control theory proposes that any one would take advantage of an opportunity to commit crime. Control theories include other reasons for committing crime such as lack of money or employee justice in the workplace.
Theft can be a reaction to deviant behaviour imposed by employers. It is a form of social control, rather than a theory of crime. Occupational crime can be a form of self help resulting from financial gain (Tucker, 1985:65-67).
Many employees commit occupational crime as a form of getting back at their managers for low pay and boring work (Zeitlin, 1971:84). Many workers may feel that the jobs they are doing, they deserve more money for and are being exploited if workers have to suffer a real boring job they may fiddle, as they think they deserve more money when other people have more exiting jobs for more money.
Employee theft rates were measured in manufacturing plants during a period in which pay was temporarily reduced by 15% compared with pre or post reduction pay periods (or with control groups whose pay was unchanged), groups whose pay was reduced had significantly higher theft rates.
When the basis for the pay cuts was thoroughly and sensitively explained to employees, feelings of inequity were lessened and the theft rate was also reduced, employees reported feelings of frustration and resentment. These feelings motivated aggressive acts of theft. Theft was the response to restore equity with the employer (Greenberg, 1990:99).
The previous studies prove that workers must feel that they are not being exploited at work. They need to earn enough money and establish good relationships with management.
The final point to control theories is to financially gain money. Gaining money/property is a form of self help. The opportunity of gaining extra money is the motivation to do it, if employees are poor, they may feel they have nothing to lose. “Financial strains force employees to take company funds or property” (Cressey, 1953, Merriam, 1977:67).
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