Internal Versus External Detection of White-Collar Criminals: An Empirical Study

Petter Gottschalk

Abstract
This article addresses the following research question: What differences might be found
between white-collar criminals detected by internal procedures versus white-collar
criminals detected by external sources? This research is important, as studies of white-collar
criminals so far has focused on case studies rather than statistical analysis of a larger sample.
Based on articles in Norwegian financial newspapers for one year, a total of 57 white-collar
criminals convicted to jail sentence were identified. The average age of the convicted
persons was 51 years. 54 out of 57 criminals were men. The average sentence was 3 years
imprisonment. The average sum of money involved in the financial crime was 178 million
Norwegian kroner (30 million US dollars). 19 crime cases emerged from internal detection,
while 38 crime cases emerged from external detection. The average sum of money involved
in the financial crime was significantly higher in cases of external detection.

Keywords: White-collar Crime, Descriptive Statistics, Court Cases, Archival Analysis, Newspapers