Corporate Crime

Corporate Crime, originally published in 1980, is the first and still the only comprehensive study of corporate law violations by our largest corporations. The book laid the groundwork for analyses of important aspects of corporate behavior. It defined corporate crime and found ways of locating corporate violations from various sources. It even drew up measures of the seriousness of crimes. Much of this book still applies today to the corporate world and its illegal behavior.

A new introduction, "Corporate Crime: Yesterday and Today—A Comparison," prepared for this edition by coauthor Marshall B. Clinard, discusses the development of a criminological interest in corporate crime, explains the nature of corporate crime, and analyzes a number of issues involved in its study. Among the issues tackled are whether today's corporate crime is greater, more serious, and more complex; accounting fraud and its crucial role in hiding corporate crime; the pharmaceuticals, the industry with the most corporate violations; explanations of corporate crime in terms of economic factors, corporate culture, and the role of top executives; and new laws to control corporate crime and alternative approaches.

This book by Clinard (sociology, U. of Wisconsin) and Yeager (sociology, Boston U.), first published in 1980 is billed by Clinard as "the first and still the only comprehensive study of corporate law violations by [US] corporations in the Fortune 500." Drawing on articles in the Wall Street Journal and other sources, it discusses corporate organization and criminal behavior, types corporate violations of law, and discusses the politics and policy of antitrust. It then explores issues of political contributions, bribery, and foreign payoffs; considers the relationship between illegalities and the accounting profession; and examines the topics of corporate social responsibility and business ethics. Corporate criminality in the oil, automobile, and pharmaceutical industries is then examined, followed by consideration of the role of corporate executives in issues of criminal liability. The volume concludes with a chapter on controlling corporate crime. The new edition discusses the development of a criminological interest in corporate crime, explains the nature of corporate crime, discusses the major issues involved, and concludes with a comparative view of corporate crime in the 25 years since the original publication. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

American Journal of Criminal Law

[The authors'] analysis of this situation and its ramifications on the public deserves careful consideration by all those interested in the role of corporations in the future of this nation and the world.

Marshall B. Clinard, University of Wisconsin sociologist, has done extensive research on, and acted as a consultant on, crime in many countries. He is an authority in the area of white collar and corporate crime. The author of numerous books, he is the recipient of the Edwin H. Sutherland Award for Distinguished Contributions in Criminology.