For most individuals, white-collar crime is not viewed as a crime at all, because of its non-violent nature. Violent crime has an immediate and obvious impact on its victims, which raises the attention of the public, whereas white-collar crime frequently goes undetected or is viewed as a bending of the rules (Geis, 1982). White-collar crime; however, can have more of an impact than violent crimes. The victim of a violent crime can recover (most times, but not always),

Barlow, D. Hugh. (1978). Introduction to Criminology. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.

The real problem behind white-collar crime is not defining white-collar crime, but developing the appropriate means to correct this type of crime. One of the most popular white-collar crimes is embezzlement. Throughout the rest of this literature review, embezzlement will remain the focus of the discussion.

Embezzlement is the most popular financial crime in the nation, and is the predominant factor in the failure of all types of businesses (Barlow, 1978). Also, embezzlement is an individual crime, not just a document or technological crime. It is often the most misunderstood and complicated crime to discover, or to investigate. The crime of embezzlement accounts for the majority of all financial institution crimes investigated by the FBI (Geis, 1982). It is often a function of an employee's circumstances and/or attitude combined with employer naivete and carelessness and with the decreasing threat of prosecution and other detrimental consequences (Weisburd, Wheeler, Waring & Bode, 1991).

A successful defense begins with a single action demonstrated by one concerned person. Someone must take a stand against the problem, and then become knowledgeable and concerned enough about the problem to persuade others to take a stand. You will likely find both supporters and detractors within every level of the institution. Embezzlers will continue to be successful until industry leaders acknowledge the magnitude and pervasiveness of the problem; until industry leaders believe that this activity is intolerable; and until industry leaders take an active role in embezzlement prevention and education (Weisburd et al., 1991). To truly understand the scope of embezzlement individuals must research and understand new policy techniques and educate themselves on the crime of embezzlement in order to combat this up and coming crime.

Periodic surveys and statistics gathered by law enforcement agencies indicate that losses attributed to acts of embezzlement are more significant than losses attributed to all other types of business crimes combined (Barlow, 1978). The number of embezzlements increases annually, primarily because of: 1. Inadequate pre-employment screening by employers, 2. Changing morality in all segments of society, particularly the work force, 3. Decreasing law enforcement help and emphasis, and 4. Minimal punishment for offenders.

It's less expensive to prevent embezzlement than it is to investigate one. Estimates are that for each $1.00 lost to any crime, the institution loses and additional $4.00. These calculations are conservative, and don't take into account the other losses the institution will ultimately suffer (Jamieson, 1994). Embezzlements are emotional as well as financial crimes. Victims of embezzlement display the same progression and range of

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