Assignment(s)

Nine years have passed since the onset of what is sometimes called the Great Recession. While the economy has slowly improved, there are still millions of Americans leading lives of quiet desperation: without jobs, without resources, without hope.

Who was to blame? Was it simply a result of negligence, of the kind of inordinate risk-taking commonly called a "bubble," of an imprudent but innocent failure to maintain adequate reserves for a rainy day? Or was it the result, at least in part, of fraudulent practices, of dubious mortgages portrayed as sound risks and packaged into ever more esoteric financial instruments, the fundamental weaknesses of which were intentionally obscured?

In striking contrast with these past prosecutions, not a single high-level executive has been successfully prosecuted in connection with the financial crisis, and given the fact that most of the relevant criminal provisions are governed by a five-year statute of limitations, it appears likely that none will be. It may not be too soon, therefore, to ask why.

I want you to write an essay between 1000-1500 words in length.

At a minimum, I would like you to address the following questions in your essay. Each one of the bullets below do not constitute a paragraph, rather items to consider and address:

1. Of all the forms of finance crimes discussed, which do you consider the most serious, and why?

2. Are there any forms of finance crime that you do not think should be considered a crime? If so, why?

3. How should finance crime be punished?

4. Why does finance crime represent an especially potent threat to society?

5. What theory would best represent the crime you have chosen and the individual\s who perpetrated the crime?

6. Does the individual fit the profile of a white collar criminal?

You may select a particular case study to base your essay off of such as Enron, Bernie Madoff, Marc Dreier, AIG, etc.... Upon completion, submit your work in the assignment area.