White collar crimes and the federal prison sentences that often accompany them have become mythologized and white-washed in American society. The “country club” myth of federal prisons has proliferated in the wake of prominent financial scandals like those of Bernie Madoff and Martha Stewart. But this characterization of federal white collar crime erases the very racialized, very difficult reality that accompanies a federal white collar prison sentence for most Americans incarcerated in a federal penitentiary. In this episode of CRT2, we explore the reality behind federal white collar criminal charges, including the life-long collateral consequences and exorbitant restitution judgements that can follow from a conviction. Tanya Pierce, who served time at FCI Danbury, joins us to discuss what a white collar federal sentence is really like.
Featuring:
Tanya Pierce
Founder, Life Unbolted
“Currently we are in the research stage because we are researching the disparity of re-entry services and programming for people returning from the federal system. We started as a pilot in New York. What we found is that people returning from the federal system do not receive the same services in reentry as compared to people returning from state and local jails.”
White collar crimes are financial crimes that are usually prosecuted at the federal level. They include charges like mail fraud, securities fraud, and bank embezzlement. There is a racial component at play — it’s in the name. White collar crime is often distinguished from “street” crime because street crime is more often associated with racialized people and white collar crime is more often associated with rich white men. Some scholars have noted a diversification of white collar crimes. As most people of colour enter the middle class, some argue the white-collar crime will get less and less white.
Related Media:
Click the link below to hear excerpts from a Congressional hearing regarding collateral consequences and their lifelong negative impact on formerly incarcerated people.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?320169-1/federal-criminal-code-criminalization
References:
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Barry, C. (2022, September 6). Formerly Incarcerated People and Advocacy Organizations Urge Reform of US Bureau of Prisons. The Sentencing Project. https://www.sentencingproject.org/advocacy-letter/formerly-incarcerated-people-and-advocacy-organizations-urge-reform-of-us-bureau-of-prisons/
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Credits:
This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Alex Mendoza, Imani Thornton, and Alyssa Curcio.