A White Business Executive Is Convicted of Embezzlement but Is

Multiple Choice

A White business executive is convicted of embezzlement but is given probation over imprisonment. A minority youth is convicted of petty theft and is sentenced to three months in jail. How would the conflict perspective explain this?

A) The businessman is able to pay the money back, so no crime was committed.
B) The in-person theft is statistically more important.
C) The businessman has committed a minor wrongdoing.
D) The legal system tends to treat deviance by the poor and minorities as serious crimes.