Event Title
The Need (Still) for White Collar Crime Courses in Criminal Justice Curriculum
Location
Exhibition Hall, DeVos Center
Description
PURPOSE: White-collar crime causes more economic harm then all types of street and property crime combined. The scandals of Enron, Martha Stewart, Worldcom and Bernie Madoff have received some media attention, but many continue to be ignored. If white-collar crimes do exist and cost taxpayers billions of dollars then it would make sense that these crimes are taught to future criminal justice practitioners in the various criminal justice departments in the United States. This research attempted to understand how many white-collar crime courses are taught in public universities around the country, and why there are not more programs out there. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The data analyzed was collected from various public universities across the country. Using content analysis, the college and university catalogs were examined to find white-collar crime courses listed in their curriculum. Those that had a white-collar crime course were then contacted via email and asked several questions: 1) How often is this class offered during an academic year?; 2) What is the average class size?; 3) How many sections are normally offered?; 4) Who is the faculty member that teaches this course and how would I get in touch with them?; and 5) Would you be able to provide a copy of the course syllabus so we may see what topics are being taught/focused on? ANALYSES: Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the catalogs. RESULTS: It was found that less than 10% of the criminal justice departments across the United States have a dedicated course on white-collar crime. This number is disproportionate to the amount of white-collar crime that occurs. CONCLUSIONS: White-collar crime is large area of crime that costs the public more than any other street or property crime combined, yet there is an insufficient number of courses available nationwide to teach future criminal justice professionals about this area. More research is needed to understand why white-collar crime is given such a low priority in criminal justice curriculum in public universities today, and a comprehensive guide to running a successful white-collar crimes course should be introduced.
The Need (Still) for White Collar Crime Courses in Criminal Justice Curriculum
Exhibition Hall, DeVos Center
PURPOSE: White-collar crime causes more economic harm then all types of street and property crime combined. The scandals of Enron, Martha Stewart, Worldcom and Bernie Madoff have received some media attention, but many continue to be ignored. If white-collar crimes do exist and cost taxpayers billions of dollars then it would make sense that these crimes are taught to future criminal justice practitioners in the various criminal justice departments in the United States. This research attempted to understand how many white-collar crime courses are taught in public universities around the country, and why there are not more programs out there. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The data analyzed was collected from various public universities across the country. Using content analysis, the college and university catalogs were examined to find white-collar crime courses listed in their curriculum. Those that had a white-collar crime course were then contacted via email and asked several questions: 1) How often is this class offered during an academic year?; 2) What is the average class size?; 3) How many sections are normally offered?; 4) Who is the faculty member that teaches this course and how would I get in touch with them?; and 5) Would you be able to provide a copy of the course syllabus so we may see what topics are being taught/focused on? ANALYSES: Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the catalogs. RESULTS: It was found that less than 10% of the criminal justice departments across the United States have a dedicated course on white-collar crime. This number is disproportionate to the amount of white-collar crime that occurs. CONCLUSIONS: White-collar crime is large area of crime that costs the public more than any other street or property crime combined, yet there is an insufficient number of courses available nationwide to teach future criminal justice professionals about this area. More research is needed to understand why white-collar crime is given such a low priority in criminal justice curriculum in public universities today, and a comprehensive guide to running a successful white-collar crimes course should be introduced.