Radical Criminology Essay -- Social Inequality Criminal Justice

wretched law involves prosecution by the state of a person for an coif that has been classified as a crime (Criminal law, 2010). But who gets to decide what acts argon criminal? It should be no surprise that the individuals with the most power do. For radical criminologists, the line of work arises in capitalist societies because it is in these societies where the means of production are owned privately by a sm each number of people. Based on the writings of Karl Marx, radical criminologists argue that the state works to serve the interests of the capitalist ruling class and that criminal law is merely an instrument of that class to keep all other classes in a disadvantage position (Young et al.,1973 Quinney, 1980). Named the elites, bourgeois, or the ruling class, these powerful people formulate and shape the content of the law to further their interests and at the same time to exploit the poor and the weak. Criminal law protects the powerful by making it look like the most dang erous types of crime are committed by the poor and consequently by setting the stage for criminal justice officials to go after and punish perpetrators of street crime to a greater extent harshly than those who commit white collar or corporate crime. On September 13, 1989, a small Kentucky town experienced a powerful sad mining accident, or so it seemed. The powerful methane explosion left 10 men dead. A federal investigation revealed that the acting foreman at the exploit falsified countless safety reports including those that documented methane levels. The foreman failed to comply with safety and regulatory requirements that ultimately lead to the explosion and deaths of 10 men. Accident? Murder? Mass reach? What does the criminal law say? The foreman received the minimum ... ...4). Echo Burning. ABA Journal .Ross, J. (2009). Cutting the Edge Current Perspectives in Radical/Critical Criminology and Criminal Justice. New Brunswick, NJ Transaction Publishers.Shukovsky, P. (2007) . The FBIs Terrorism Trade-Off. Retrieved from Seattle Post-Intelligencer http//www.seattlepi.com/national/311046_fbiterror11.htmlSiegel, L. (2004). Criminology Theories Patterns & Typologies. New York Prentice Hall.Sutherland, E. (1940). White-Collar Criminality. American Sociological Review , 1-12.Valentino, S. (2008). White Collar Criminal Defense. Retrieved from criminal offense USA http//www.crimeusa.com/White_Collar_Crime.htmlYoung, J., Taylor, I., & Walton, P. (1975). Critical Criminology. London Routledge and Kegan Paul.Young, J., Taylor, I., & Walton, P. (1973). The New Criminology For A Social Theory Of Deviance. London Routledge and Kegan Paul.