Critical Analysis of Blue-Collar and White-Collar Crimes with the Role of Justice System in Pakistan

Abstract

This paper examines the possibility of bias in the society and the courts (in Pakistan) regarding offences that are committed by the rich and the influential (white-collar crime) and the offences that are committed by the poor and powerless (blue-collar crime). This study is premised on the assertion that the high rate of hard treatment in blue-collar crime is because of the harmful immediate impact of the crime by such people on individuals and/or the society. White-collar crime is defined as the offences committed by people holding high-ranking or rather status holders in the society, either through business matters, politicians and government appointees, by Edwin Sutherland in 1939. These offences are normally based on financial gain, though they are not violent, and are associated with embezzlement, fraud and taking bribes. On the contrary, a blue-collar crime is a crime where the perpetrators belong to the labouring classes, and such crimes are usually violent in character, i.e., robbery and assault. The Pakistani justice system plays a very important role in handling white-collar and blue-collar crimes. However, there are a number of problems that face the justice system in its capacity to address these crimes. The lack of resources and capacity to investigate and prosecute sophisticated white-collar offences is one of the critical issues because the justice system has neither the resources nor the capacity to do so.   One of the other challenges is corruption within the justice system itself, which could weaken the effectiveness and integrity of the system.