A Black Box Warning: The Marginalization of White-Collar Crime Victimization

Abstract

The study of white-collar crime has become a subfield of criminology receiving great attention, though victimization calls for additional research. The black box warning, used by the Food and Drug Administration to denote potential serious hazards of a drug or device, is an apt metaphor for the neglect often associated with the identification, depth, consequences, and, at times, violent nature of white-collar crime victimization. Research on victims is evolving, though compared to street-level crime remains marginalized, despite the serious harms caused by the former. This article offers a review of what researchers have accomplished and identifies topics of concern. White-collar crime targets a wide spectrum of the population and a high number of people, but the black box of victimization demonstrates the need for research that further enhances knowledge and informs policy.