As mentioned, past theories focused primarily on lower-class crime. Therefore, white-collar crimes were “almost completely omitted” in these theories and statistics (Sutherland, 1940, p. 9). Previous theories also suggested that people commit crimes because they are in poverty or suffer from psychopathic conditions (Sutherland, 1940, p. 1). However, this is false because it does not explain general crime, much less white-collar crime; white collar criminals don't live there