Law Question

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a comparative assessment of the harms that may or may not be prosecuted as a crime. Failure to turn in the assignment will result in zero points being awarded.

Title: A comparative assessment of serious harms that may or may not be prosecuted as a crime

The financial crisis of 2008 caused one of the worst economic downturns in the United States since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Although key actors in major banks and other financial institutions were believed to be engaged in fraudulent mortgage practices that contributed to this financial crisis, to this date, not a single Wall Street executive has been charged and prosecuted for their behavior. Indeed, despite the enormous harm caused by deceptive mortgage practices leading to the crisis of 2008, the fact that nobody from the big banks and investment firms has been punished is not surprising because the vast majority of white collar/corporate criminals never receive a prison sentence. This, of course, contrasts sharply with the response to “street crime” and “drug-related” offenses. To learn more about the banking activities that led to the financial crisis of 2008, watch the PBS Frontline documentary titled: “The Untouchables”: http://video.pbs.org/video/2327953844/ (Links to an external site.)

In 2000, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) contacted both Ford Motor Company and Firestone Tire and Rubber Company about the hundreds of individuals injured or killed in vehicle accidents as a result of defective tires on multiple Ford model vehicles. Upon further investigation, it was found that Ford and Firestone knew about faulty tires and their level of risk; however, they never reported their findings to the NHTSA. Read about the Ford/Firestone story from TIME Magazine: http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,128198,00.html (Links to an external site.)

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:

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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”?
4. 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?
5. 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.
6. Find a historical account of another white-collar crime using a reputable source for journalism. For example the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Yorker, Mother Jones, or the Atlantic. Describe the event and the evidence presented in the article. Was there evidence that a social harm was committed? Please explain.

NOTE on question 6: In prior courses, students have often used sources including fbi.gov, doj.gov, nbcnews.com, Business Insider, Investopedia, or Wikipedia. These are NOT reputable sources for journalism. If you are unsure, email me to see if your source is acceptable.

1. Compare and contrast the white-collar crimes presented in the PBS documentary and the TIME article with your article. What do all three crimes have in common? How are they different? Based on the evidence presented in all three sources, which white-collar crime caused the greatest social harm?

Paper formatting and delivery

In addition to including the elements discussed above, you must also demonstrate professional writing skills. In order to satisfy this requirement, you must adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Provide a title page
   1. Center all information on the page
   2. Include the following
      1. A short title for your paper
      2. Your name
      3. Course name and number
      4. Instructor’s name
      5. Date of submission

1. Include page numbers
2. Double-space all lines and Justify of Left align the text
3. Use correct spelling and remove all typographical errors
4. Use an appropriate font
   1. Times New Roman
   2. 12 point font size
5. Before submitting your paper, read it closely one final time to check for spelling, typographical, and grammatical errors. Simply spell-checking the document is not good enough.

On the use of references

You do not need to cite the PBS documentary or the TIME article for this assignment. However, you must provide the citation for the historical account of another white-collar crime and any other references you discuss in your assignment. You can use any citation style as long as you remain consistent.

Grading criteria

The grade you earn on this assignment will be based on your effort, thoroughness, clarity, as well as the depth of your responses. Also, be sure to answer every part of each question to earn full credit for each question.