Chapter 13 – Criminal Law and Business
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Chapter 13
Criminal Law and Business
Learning Objectives
The general purpose of this chapter is to alert students to the importance of criminal law in
operating a business. The emphasis is on crimes committed by businesses rather than on business
as a victim of criminal conduct. One point of emphasis is the use of criminal law enforcement in
response to recent corporate scandals. This chapter also introduces students to the terminology
used in criminal law, including basic concepts such as intent. Constitutional protections available
to those accused of a crime are considered with particular emphasis on unreasonable searches and
seizures, self-incrimination, double jeopardy, and trial by jury. The chapter covers specific crimes
that are commonly committed in business, especially fraud, conspiracy, and obstruction of
justice, as well as other serious crimes such as violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
Organizations Act. Finally, trends in criminal law are discussed.
References
Creating a Culture of Compliance. Wiley (2006).
Broadhurst, Roderic and Peter Grabosky, Cyber-Crime: The Challenge in Asia. Hong Kong
UP (2005).
Coleman, J.W., The Criminal Elite: Understanding White-Collar Crime. Worth Publishers
(2002).
Rosoff, S.M., H.N. Pontell, and R. Tillman, Profit Without Honor: White-collar Crime and
the Looting of America. Prentice Hall (2002).
Shover, Neal, Choosing White-Collar Crime. Cambridge UP (2006).
Swartz, M. and S. Watkins, Power Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.