White Collar Offenders and the Impact of Conviction

• In Event: White-collar offenders after criminal justice involvement

Abstract

The resilience of some high-profile white-collar criminals in the media gaze after prison may lead some to conclude, particularly as some research also supports this notion, that this group of offenders generally manages well with conviction and the consequences of it. Research in this area is, however, small and largely American. This paper seeks to add to this small body of research by offering findings on the impact of conviction on 17 UK convicted white-collar criminals after completion of their sentence. It provides a unique insight into the consequences of conviction, showing that although there were some offenders who did experience limited impact and coped well, there was also a significant group who suffered a decline in status, financial losses, negative media coverage, and relationship and mental health problems, to name some. The paper focuses in-particular on the prison experience of the 13 of the sample who went to prison and the impact of media coverage of their case, an issue which has been largely neglected by researchers.

Author

• Mark Button, University of Portsmouth