There used to be a belief people convicted of what are called “White Collar Crimes” served a much lighter, almost relaxing form of punishment compared to traditionally punished criminals. This belief stemmed from the fact that white collar crimes involved no violence, and were usually perpetrated by educated, gainfully employed individuals in the middle or upper class strata of society, who committed their crimes against companies, banks or even government agencies for large amounts of money.
This notion was popularized by the belief that because these were wealthier criminals committing nonviolent crimes against other wealthy people or organizations, there existed a “wealthy jail,” where the convicted enjoyed a “luxurious” jail sentence, complete with tennis courts and swimming pools. There was even a nick name for this type of imprisonment, “Club Fed,” a play on the fact that white collar criminals were usually convicted of a Federal level offense, and thus they served time at a Federal prison with facilities similar to the famous Club Med franchise of luxury resorts.
The most surprising part of all this is that, until 2006, “Club Fed” did in fact exist, and it was known as the Camp Eglin Federal Prison. Prior to its close, Camp Eglin did allow white collar prisoners to enjoy facilities like swimming, tennis, golf and generous access to phone communication to maintain relationships with family.
Today, this is no longer the case.
A white collar crime is considered a Federal offense, and, if convicted, white collar convicts are now subject to the same treatment as anyone convicted of a crime who is considered a “low risk” prisoner in terms of danger to others and likelihood of escape. This mean that there is no segregation between “upper class” and “lower class” prisoners. A white collar convict is at the same security level as someone convicted of drug possession or other less criminal acts.
This means that while people serving sentences are in a minimum security Federal Prison Camp, with no violent criminal population in the same facility, there is no longer an “easy sentence” or a “privileged prisoner class” that enjoys a higher quality of life than other prisoners, or even normal citizens.
Conviction of a white collar crime means someone has committed a Federal crime, and that means no parole and less of a reduction in sentence for good behavior. While it’s true that minimum security prisons don’t have the barbed wire barriers and high population of armed prison security compared to maximum security prisons, today’s minimum security facilities are far from a relaxing, luxury experience.
Over the years has been an increasing effort to minimize the comfort of white collar prisoners, partially because of a public sentiment that financial crime should entitle the convicted to better treatment, and partially because the increasingly taxed prison systems cannot afford to maintain luxury standards for a few select prisons, let alone segregate prison populations to only a small number of prisoners in a large facility.
This is why if you are accused of a white collar crime, you should not take the possible conviction lightly. While there may have been some merit in years past to the idea that white collar convicts enjoyed some ample “vacation time” for a few years, courtesy of the Federal government, this is no longer the case.
A white collar criminal conviction is serious, and so is the sentence that is served. You should not treat such accusations lightly, and should seek out the legal advice of an criminal defense attorney to best prepare you for fighting this case. These are no longer the years where a serving time for a white collar crime is “no big deal.”