watch the PBS Frontline documentary titled: “The Untouchables”: http://video.pbs.org/video/2327953844/
Read about the Ford/Firestone story from TIME Magazine: http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,128198,00.html
After watching the documentary and reading the article, answer the following questions:
For the following questions, please provide one full paragraph (6-8 sentences) for each question:
Based on the information presented in the PBS documentary and the TIME article, describe how the behaviors of corporations, including Ford, Firestone, and the financial institutions on Wall Street, could be understood as crimes whether or not they have been prosecuted? How do these activities differ from those involved in “typical” street crimes?
As shown in the documentary, Senator Kaufman – who spearheaded the Senate’s investigation of Wall Street – was appointed to the office and thus did not receive campaign donations. How might this have influenced his ability to investigate financial crimes? How does this differ from other elected officials?
How does the social reaction to harms caused by “white collar crime” (i.e., from the criminal justice system, the media, and the public) differ from the social reaction to “street crime”?
How do American cultural values (e.g., the American Dream) contribute to the perpetration of white-collar crime? How might these behaviors actually go against American values? Is there a theory in criminology that can be useful in explaining white-collar crime? How has cultural tolerance for white-collar crime changed in the last 10 years since the events described in the two sources?
How have you been affected by white-collar crime? How have these experiences shaped your perception of white-collar crime? In the incredible case that you have not been affected by white-collar crime, describe how white-collar crime has affected a friend or distant family member. If not, describe how white-collar crime can affect society as a whole.
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