Under the current corporate criminal liability standard, corporations may be prosecuted despite their implementation of corporate compliance programs. This Article argues that the current standard does not adequately serve the detection and deterrence goals of the criminal justice system because it subjects a corporation to criminal liability no matter how diligent the corporation may have been in establishing a corporate compliance program. This Article further argues that the current standard, which resulted from a fundamental misreading of Supreme Court precedent, should be reformed to differentiate between responsible and irresponsible corporations. By examining recent developments in corporate liability, including the Supreme Court’s limitation of corporate liability in civil cases, the Model Penal Code’s “due diligence” approach, the United Kingdom Bribery Act, and amendments to the Unites States Sentencing Guidelines, the Author concludes that changes to the current standard that would allow a corporation’s compliance efforts to constitute a defense to criminal allegations would better serve the goals of the criminal justice system and encourage responsible behavior by corporations.