{"title":"Work as a crime, a resource and a relationship: the confiscation of wages as proceeds of crime.","authors":"Maayan Niezna","doi":"10.1007/s10611-026-10297-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>UK law allows the confiscation of wages as proceeds of crime, notably for 'illegal working' by undocumented migrants. This article explores the context for criminalising work and confiscating wages, and the arguments against confiscation. It suggests that the confiscation of wages is conceptually, morally, and pragmatically questionable. The justifications for wage confiscation reflect an understanding of work as a finite resource controlled by the state rather than an act or relationship. The arguments against the confiscation of wages reflect the relational and social aspects of work, including the economic necessity to work and work's potential for coercion and exploitation on the one hand, and dignity and self-realisation on the other. The article further suggests that only when the performance of the job itself is harmful to others may wages be confiscated.</p>","PeriodicalId":47577,"journal":{"name":"Crime Law and Social Change","volume":"84 1","pages":"50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13369025/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Crime Law and Social Change","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-026-10297-y","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/7/14 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
UK law allows the confiscation of wages as proceeds of crime, notably for 'illegal working' by undocumented migrants. This article explores the context for criminalising work and confiscating wages, and the arguments against confiscation. It suggests that the confiscation of wages is conceptually, morally, and pragmatically questionable. The justifications for wage confiscation reflect an understanding of work as a finite resource controlled by the state rather than an act or relationship. The arguments against the confiscation of wages reflect the relational and social aspects of work, including the economic necessity to work and work's potential for coercion and exploitation on the one hand, and dignity and self-realisation on the other. The article further suggests that only when the performance of the job itself is harmful to others may wages be confiscated.
期刊介绍：
Covers crime and deviance at the global, national, regional and local level, worldwideHas a special focus on financial crime, corruption, terrorism and organizational crimeWelcomes criminological research in the areas of human rights, comparative and international criminal law and criminal justice Crime, Law and Social Change publishes peer reviewed, original research articles addressing crime and the political economy of crime, whether at the global, national, regional or local levels, anywhere in the world. The Journal often presents work on financial crime, corruption, organized criminal groups, criminal enterprises and illegal markets, state crime, terrorism and security issues, cybercrime, cross-border crime and environmental crime. In addition, Crime, Law and Social Change welcomes criminological research in the areas of human rights, comparative and international criminal justice, compensation and justice for serious crime victims, international criminal law and cooperation. Finally, the Journal publishes multi-disciplinary criminological research focusing on gender, age, racial and ethnic equality issues.
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