This research study is to compare convicted white-collar offenders and convicted street crime offenders in how they react to their damaged identity and their outlook of future prospects. These will be analyzed in relation to a number of indicators that measure social capital of the convicted offenders. The focus of this thesis is to determine whether convicted white-collar offenders differ significantly from your typical convicted street crime offenders in self-image, their perceived impact of the criminal label, acceptance of the criminal label, and their outlook of future prospects. Differences are expected in relation to disparities in social capital between the two groups. A self-direct survey will be administered to a sample of white collar offenders from a Federal Probation Unit and a sample of conventional offenders under the supervision of the Bexar County Adult Probation Unit.

According to labeling theorists, the powerful are more likely than the powerless to be able to avoid being labeled as deviant or criminal, or to be able to negotiate more successfully the terms that stigmatize them. When white collar offenders have been processed by the criminal justice system, they typically have more legitimate options than do conventional offenders and are likely to minimize the full effects of stigma (Friedrichs, 2004).