Final answer:
White-collar crime is often excused due to the c. economic and political power of the offenders, who can influence legal definitions and face less severe repercussions than less privileged individuals.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Jeffrey Reiman's "The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison," white-collar crime is often excused due to the c. economic and political power of those who commit it.
Indeed, those in the upper echelons of society have the ability to influence legal definitions and perceptions of criminality.
White-collar crimes, such as financial frauds and embezzlements, may not appear as immediately destructive as street-level crimes but can have far-reaching consequences including significant financial losses and undermining of public trust.
A notable example is the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, which led to an estimated loss of $50 billion.
Furthermore, the power elite, due to their status and connections, can often commit crimes with fewer legal repercussions than less privileged individuals.
As supported by the concept of the power elite, celebrities and wealthy individuals may commit crimes with the expectation that their fame or influence will protect them from retribution.
The connection between social class and criminality is also evident in the disproportionate application of laws and sentencing.
As the situation with crack versus powder cocaine demonstrates, laws can be structured in a way that punishes the less affluent more severely for crimes that are socially associated with them, despite similar legal consequences being appropriate for their wealthier counterparts.
The criminal justice system's treatment of corporate crime compared to more visible street crime reveals biases within legal definitions of deviance and harm, further emphasizing the impact of social power on legal outcomes.