What is environmental crime? Please give examples. Explain deterrence theory and white collar crimes.Each student is required to answer the forum questions in a minimum of 500 words with 1 citation and 1 reference in APA format.
In addition there must be at least one 250 word response to a fellow student.
Respond to Logan:Environmental crimes are illegal actions that ultimately harm the environment in which society lives. Some of these include pollution, illegal waste dumping, poaching, deforestation and many more. In the long term, these can have serious consequences and can also inflict damage towards wildlife, our ecosystems and human health. One example in particular of an environmental crime was when it was discovered along the Tennessee River in North Alabama, a 3M plant had contaminated the water in the river. Of the chemicals, polyfluoroalkyl was a main one, and had been developed and had spread in the river since the 1950’s. “The chemicals are used in non-stick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics, water repellant clothing, cosmetics and firefighting foams. They may cause problems including increased risk of cancer, decreased vaccine response in children, increased cholesterol levels, increased blood pressure and lower birth weights in children, according to the CDC.” (Associated Press, 2021).
Deterrence theory is a criminological theory that suggests that the threat of punishment can deter people from committing crimes. It also mentions that crimes with a higher severity, certainty, and swiftness of punishment can influence ones decisions to even participate in criminal behaviors and activities. White-collar crimes can be looped into deterrence theory as well. Many times, white collar crimes go completely unprosecuted due to the employer that is sometimes involved not even pursuing legal action and simply enforcing it on their own in the form of a promissory note, termination of employment status, or no action at all. It is also hard to enforce against white collar punishment if the individual that is committing the illegal behavior is of a certain level within the organization or would be the one acting in the enforcement role in the first place. Another uphill battle that those trying to enforce or deter against white collar crime may be that the reward out weigh’s the risk. A question of psychology comes into play when an individual may have gotten ‘greedy’ and began to illegally obtain a life-changing amount of funds and is willing to spend a felonious sentence in prison in exchange for illegally obtaining the funds. As discussed this term, insider trading, fraud, money laundering and bribery and a wide range of other actions can fall into the category of white collar crime, and it becomes very tricky when individuals in roles of trust are the ones to commit the acts. A way that I have professionally observed this be corrected is to create entire groups/teams within your private organization to fully investigate such white-collar crimes and also follow through with the enforcement of it. Also allow this team to market themselves to the company so that individuals that may be interested in committing such crimes can be aware of the team and their purpose/mission.
References:
3M, Alabama communities reach $98M pollution settlement. (2021). AP NEWS.