Compare and contrast blue collar and white-collar theft

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Blue-collar thefts are carried out by either an unskilled individual or small group. They aim for petty targets. They are motivated by thrills, drugs and alcohol, and the need to support their lifestyle. They focus on houses, small business, and individuals. The gain from this type of theft is usually very small and consists of either products or cash. Because the crimes are usually impulse driven, they are not well thought out and are poorly executed. Offenders are often caught because of carelessness and not through particular investigative effort. White-collar thefts, when compared to blue-collar thefts, are executed by a more intelligent individual or group. These crimes are well thought out, very organized, and focus on larger targets. The gain from this type of theft is usually larger amounts of cash or product. These offenders are more likely to rely on loopholes in the system and utilize businesses that appear legitimate to launder stolen products or cash in exchange for a share of the profit. These thefts are conducted more like a business than a thrill and are not executed out of necessity but out of want. They commit their crimes because they want significant amounts of money to support their middle-class lifestyle.