I had the privilege of being at an NYU Conference titled, Deterring Corporate Crime: Effective Principles for Corporate Enforcement.  Hats off to Professor Jennifer Arlen for bringing together folks with some different perspectives on corporate crime. Individuals presented data, and I heard different positions presented (corporate, government, industry, judicial) on a host of topics.  The individual constituent (CEO, CFO, employee) within the corporation was not a key focus, unless it was a discussion of their wrongdoing or prosecution.   

From this conversation it was clear that deterring corporate wrongdoing is not easy.  Penalties have increased, yet we continute to see corporate criminality.  So the question is, how do we encourage corporations not to engage in corporate wrongdoing?

This is my top ten list of what I think exists and what needs to be changed –

1. Most companies try to abide by the law.

2.  Complying with the law is not always easy for corporations. In some instances the law and regulations are unclear, making it difficult to discern what is legal.  The array of different laws and regulations (e.g., state, federal, and international), as well as their complexity  makes corporate compliance problematic.

3.  Companies resort to internal investigations to get information of wrongdoing within the company. In some instances companies will threaten individuals with the possible loss of their jobs if they fail to cooperate with a corporate internal investigation. Individuals who provide information to their employers sometimes do not realize that the company may provide that information to the government and the information may then be used against them.

4.  If a company is criminally charged, it typically is financially beneficial for the company to fold, work with the government, and provide information to the government of alleged individual wrongdoing within the company.

5. DOJ's incentives to a corporation that causes it to fold and provide evidence to the government against alleged individual wrongdoers may be causing more harm because it pits corporations against its individual constituents.

6. We need a stronger regulatory system.  Our system is broken and one just can't blame agencies like the SEC.

7. If we expect agencies like the SEC to work, Congress needs to provide them with more money to engage in real regulatory enforcement.

8. There are many good folks in DOJ, including AG Holder, who look longterm at stopping corporate wrongdoing. But there are also individuals in DOJ who fail to see the ramifications of what may seem like short-term benefits.   

9. Corporate crime can be reduced if everyone - the corporation, government, and also the individual constituents would work together.

10. It would be beneficial in reducing corporate crime if there was more transparency.  We all need to hear what works – when there are declinations of prosecutions, or when an agency decides not to fine a company. We can learn from the good things companies do (anonymously) and when DOJ declines to proceed against the company.   

(esp)