Book Review: T.L. Leap Dishonest Dollars: The Dynamics of White-Collar Crime New York: Cornell University Press, 2007. 243 pp. £15.09 ISBN—13: 978—0—8014—4520—0
| Author | Hazel Croall |
| DOI | 10.1177/1748895808093986 |
| Published date | 01 August 2008 |
| Date | 01 August 2008 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Criminology & Criminal Justice
© 2008 SAGE Publications
(Los Angeles, London, New Delhi and Singapore)
and the British Society of Criminology.
www.sagepublications.com
ISSN 1748–8958; Vol: 8(3): 349–354
DOI: 10.1177/1748895808093986
T.L. Leap
Dishonest Dollars: The Dynamics of White-Collar Crime
New York: Cornell University Press, 2007. 243 pp. £15.09 ISBN–13:
978–0–8014–4520–0
• Reviewed by Hazel Croall, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Criminologists, often social scientists, have often pointed to the barriers
posed for research and analysis of white collar crime by the need to encom-
pass areas of law, accountancy and business, let alone a variety of scientific
and technological expertise. This book therefore, written by a Professor of
Management, holds out the considerable promise of integrating ‘the work
of academicians and investigative journalists into a dynamic model of white
collar crime’ (p. 3), combining perspectives from sociology, psychology,
public policy and business studies.
The first three chapters focus on factors influencing offenders’ decisions.
Leap summarizes a variety of individual, organizational and societal influ-
ences, arguing that each of the many explanations and theories of crime
contain some ‘element of truth’ (p. 23). Individual factors, such as ‘anti
social’ and narcissistic personality disorders are, in his view, crucial and
white collar offenders may be ‘high functioning psychopaths’ (p. 23).
Organizational factors such as criminogenic environments and ‘specialized
access’ and societal factors such as a culture of competition and the moral
ambiguity of white collar crime ‘fuel the fire’. White collar crime involves
manipulative conduct which, using Felson’s (2002) work, he relates to
asymmetric information or power, the proneness of some groups, such as
children or the elderly to manipulation along with victims’ mental and emo-
tional states. Offenders use a variety of psychological coping mechanisms
to resolve...
To continue reading
Request your trial