White collar crime is a division of nonviolent crime that are typically committed for financial gain through an organization and in a hierarchal method.  White collar crime is extremely prevalent and is estimated to cost the United States billions of dollars annually.  Some choose to become successful or to bring the American dream to fruition through more unconventional ways, by using crime as their means to achieve it.  This can include copyright infringement, money laundering, identity theft, and etcetera.  White collar crimes are motivated by money and typically have a low rate of recidivism.  Although white collar crime can cause financial devastation and is not considered victimless crime, it is typically regarded as less serious than drug offenses.  Victimless crimes refer to illicit behaviors that do not directly violate or threaten another individual.  In these instances, other people are harmed by the offender’s criminal act.  However, drug crimes, which are typically prosecuted for frequently and harshly than white collar crimes, are victimless crimes, in that drug use and crimes associated with illicit drug use do not directly harm outsiders.  In addition, white collar offenders are prosecuted at a lower rate than drug offenders.  White collar crimes are typically committed through sophisticated, complex methods.  Therefore, it is more difficult to apprehend offenders.  In today’s criminal justice system, a heavier focus is placed on prosecuting drug offenders as a result of the war on drugs.   
In his article “White‐Collar Criminals: The ‘Kinder, Gentler’ Offender?” Frank Perri details a common misconception of white collar criminals that they are typically one time offenders.  It is a widespread belief that white collar offenders have low rates of recidivism.  However, white collar criminals often recede back into their crimes.  This may be due to the lack of punitive sentencing placed upon nonviolent offenders.  Additionally, many white collar criminals cannot find fault within their actions, or do not view their offenses as crimes.  As white collar crime depends on financial motivation, offenders may view it as a suitable means of achieving economic success.   Although white collar crime is widespread and extremely costly, it is often neglected or considered less crucial in apprehending offenders in comparison to other crimes, such as drug violations.  
What determines that a crime is punishable by incarceration while another is not? Does the lack of criminal prosecution and conviction of these offenders lead to a disproportionate prison population of African American males?  Although white collar crimes are often committed by individuals in positions of high power, they take place all throughout the socioeconomic spectrum, such as in credit card and bank fraud.  White collar crimes are not victimless crimes. They can cost families and investors millions of dollars in financial devastation.  This can result in the loss of retirement funds and even life savings. Therefore, it is realistic to assume that in some situations, white collar crimes can be more damaging than drug offenses, as it affects families, companies, and investors.  White collar crime, while typically regarded as a nonviolent crime, can commence into violent crime.   A prevalence of aggression has been observed as a common personality trait in white collar criminals, in addition to a propensity of offenders to resort to violence against their victims.  These violent crimes are committed by white collar criminals, who are typically regarded as nonviolent in order to avoid arrest or to achieve the goal of their crime.  Therefore, perhaps it is not always accurate to classify white collar criminals as nonviolent offenders.
