Profs & Pints Napa: The Dirt on White-Collar Crime

Profs and Pints Napa presents: “The Dirt on White-Collar Crime,” a debunking of the myths and examination of the realities surrounding “nonviolent,” financially motivated misdeeds, with Bryan Burton, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Sonoma State University and researcher of white-collar crime, corporate crime, and regulation.

[Tickets available only online, at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/the-dirt-on-white-collar-crime .]

The public’s understanding of white-collar crime is shaped less by empirical research than by powerful myths. Such myths distort our ideas about what constitutes normal or acceptable behavior as well as our assumptions about the harm caused by white-collar crime and our thoughts about who is responsible for it and how perpetrators should be held accountable.

Be on hand as Bryan Burton, a scholar of crime and criminal justice in the United States and abroad, shines light on the reality surrounding illegal misdeeds that get termed “white-collar.”

He’ll start by challenging an assumption that’s ingrained in the very definition of white-collar crime, the idea that it’s somehow “nonviolent.” We’ll look at how the unsafe consumer products, hazardous workplaces, environmental contamination, and corporate negligence associated with white-collar and corporate crime often result in serious injury, illness, and death.

Professor Burton also will debunk the myth that white-college crime is somehow less costly than conventional street crime, showing how the financial and social costs of white-collar offenses often far exceed those associated with conventional street offenses.

He’ll shatter the notion that we can rely on regulatory agencies to protect us from serious white-collar misdeeds, describing how regulatory enforcement is hindered by political pressures and resource constraints. As part of this discussion, he’ll look at the phenomenon of regulatory capture, when independent watchdog agencies become overly influenced by, and end up advancing the interests of, the industries or groups they were established to oversee.

Finally, he’ll take on the cynical beliefs that nothing can be done about white-collar crime or that white-collar offenders are somehow untouchable. He’ll explain why accountability for white-collar crime is often uneven.

We’ll look at practical ways that society, organizations, and audience members as individuals can work to fight white-collar crime and reduce its harms. You’ll leave feeling wiser and more empowered to keep yourself from being victimized. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Doors open at 5:30 and the talk begins at 6:30.)

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