White-Collar Crime and Garland's "Culture of Control"

• In Event: Contemporary Trends in White-Collar and Corporate Crime Control Practices

Abstract

This study aims to introduce white-collar crime analysis to current discussion of punishment ideologies. Such an undertaking is inspired by Garland’s Culture of Control, which provides an ideological lens through which to understand response to street crime. Most scholars refer to neoliberalism in the discussion of white-collar crime trivialization, but seldom do they delve into different forms of neoliberalism that may affect punishment for different forms of white-collar crime. This study combines classical punishment theories and the literature of neoliberalism to establish a theme that can explain different styles of punishment for foreign corruption practices and corporate fraud. To identify specific ideologies in the context of increasing globalization, this study utilizes American media reports concerning white-collar punishment in different eras (1990-2000, 2000-2008, and 2008-2016), focusing on foreign corruption practices and fraud. Further, it employs discourse analyses to present different ideologies corresponding to neoliberalism, which may very well influence punishment for white-collar crime.

Author

• Puma Shen, University of California, Irvine