In general, white-collar crime is viewed as criminal acts committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his or her occupation. It has both organizational and occupational components, that, as in the case of corporate homicides, may be difficult to separate. In addition, the power derived from ownership and authority positions in corporations may itself be criminogenic, in that it provides freedom from constraints that normally inhibit crime. This may be compounded by the fact that corporations are regarded as juristic persons, thus permitting executive disengagement from crimes. For those at lower levels of the organizational hierarchy, there may be pressure from above to engage in criminal activity to maximize profits. Another feature of white-collar crime is that it is often undetected, frequently unprosecuted, or prosecuted under noncriminal or quasi-criminal statutes. Further, when detected and prosecuted, legal sanctions are usually less severe and frequently involve fines rather than incarceration, although some evidence points to a trend toward more severe sentencing. 8 annotated references.