White Collar and Organized Crime In the twentieth century, white collar and organized crime attracted the attention of the United States criminal justice system due to the greater costs to society compared to most normal street crime. Despite the new attention from the criminal justice system, both are still somewhat unknown to the general public. Even though we know this happens, due to a lack of coverage and information, society does not realize the extent of these crimes or their impact. White collar and organized crimes are generally crimes committed by someone considered respectable and with a high social status. The crimes committed usually consist of fraud, insider trading, corruption, embezzlement, money laundering, identity theft or forgery. A person would not normally commit all of these crimes, but probably one or the other. Most white collar crimes are committed by organizations which could be corporations or small businesses. White collar and organized crime can endanger the well-being of people across the country. It is one of society's costliest crimes. White-collar criminals profit from businesses, and organized crime usually profits from illegal activities and may use violent measures. When I think of organized crime, I think of the mafia like the one you see on television. This is probably what most people think about if you don't know much about it. In recent years, organized crime has changed and the threat is more complex than in the past. According to the FBI, organized crime consists of Russian mafias who have fled to the United States, groups involved in drug trafficking and scams from African countries, and businesses based in Eastern European countries such as Romania. Many groups have started using paper crimes rather than street crimes. You will rarely hear about these crimes on the news before the sentence has been pronounced. Unfortunately, companies can easily afford to pay thousands or even millions of dollars in penalties and fines, so penalties must be increased significantly. Because of corporate power, white-collar crime is difficult to prove even once suspected. Determining who started the crime and trying to persuade a jury that already has difficulty understanding the complexity of these types of crimes can be difficult. Works Cited Barkan, Steven E. Criminology: A Sociological Understanding. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2012. 333-43. Press.“Organized crime”. FBI. FBI, May 8, 2013. Web. April 10, 2014. Schmalleger, Frank. Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2013. Print.