Toward a Sociology of Organizational Crime

This paper identifies as organizational crimes those illegal actions taken in accordance with operative organizational goals which do serious harm either physical or economic, to employees, consumers, or the general public. The idea of whitecollar crime is insufficient to deal with this phenomenon because it seldom recognizes physical impact or the peculiar features of crime in an organizational setting. Public evaluation of the seriousness of an offense is based on the seriousness of its effect. But legally these offenses are judged by their potential rather than their actual consequences so that, in sharp contrast to common crime, parties are seldom held accountable for harmful acts. Organizational illegality is shielded by difficulties attendant on efforts to establish criminal intent, to determine individual responsibility, and to apply traditional civil-criminal distinctions. We survey patterns of physical impact of illegal and dangerous organizational behavior upon their victims, which suggest the magnitude of the problem, the failure to perceive its social risks, and the need to develop data sources and do further research in this area.