The paper states that research into white-collar crime will be neglected until the public and the authorities view it as a subject which urgently needs attention and remediation. However, recent events are highlighted which indicate that white-collar crime is becoming a more important issue, such as scholarly meetings on the subject, congressional hearings, and consumer advocacy movements. Basic research programs are proposed to convince the public that reasonable solutions to white-collar crime can be found. Definitional issues are briefly explored, followed by suggestions for studies to establish the parameters of real and perceived harm from white-collar crime. Interesting topics from this perspective include corporate criminal liability and the attitudes of persons who served on juries in trials of persons prosecuted for white-collar crimes. Other research approaches to understanding white-collar crime and educating the public are described, including statistics, the role of the media, case studies, and organizational studies. In addition, existing methods of dealing with white-collar crime need to be evaluated. Finally, the deterrent effect of penal sanctions, equal protection laws, the role of statutory requirements, and the prosecution of white-collar criminals on the Federal and State level are considered. Over 70 footnotes are provided.