How are white collar crimes sentenced? Is the punishment and jail time a lot less severe than a violent crime?

White collar crimes are those typically referred to as being carried out by individuals of a higher socio-economic level.  These are not violent crimes and do not result in damages other than those financial in nature.  The most common type of white collar crime is fraud.  However, other types may be theft, bribery, corruption, etc.  There are two primary explanations for the disparity between white collar crime sentencing and “blue collar’ or “street” crime sentencing.  The first reason why other types of crimes seem to be punished more harshly is because many other crimes, such as those involving drugs, assault, or murder, have mandatory sentencing.  Therefore, judges may not have the option to consider the individual’s circumstances in sentencing; they are simply sentenced in accordance with statute.  The other is that white collar crimes do not result in physical harm to anyone, such as assault or murder.  While financial damage may be substantial, they are considered less severe than physical harm.