In most societies in the world, people have different views on what is considered right or wrong. Society considers certain crimes in the past as healthy behaviors in the present because of changing social attitudes. Therefore, crime is said to be a social construction because it all depends on the arguments and opinions members of society have regarding a specific type of behavior. Certain types of actions may be considered a crime in one community but maybe entirely accepted practices in other cultures. Corporate harm, marijuana use, and domestic violence are examples of crimes that have mixed reactions in society.
Certain types of waste discharged by industrial companies are toxic and hazardous and can pollute the environment if not handled in the right manner. Companies found disposing hazardous waste through unsafe methods should be sued and closed down permanently. Different states in the US have contradicting opinions on what is considered dangerous and what should be regulated (Passas, 2005). Before the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, industrial companies were only allowed to dispose of toxic wastes in the states in which they operated and in a highly limited and regulated environment. Such regulations limited the production capacities of these organizations since less toxic waste production only comes about when there are fewer production activities. After the implementation of the Act in 1976, companies were now allowed to dispose of toxic wastes in those states, which had fewer restrictions on toxic waste disposal. Industrial companies supported the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act because it allowed them to increase their profit margins through increased production activities. The act was put in place to reduce the risk of improper treatment of toxic waste, but what it only brought was the creation of an illegal market for waste disposal. Corporations should not be allowed to dispose of toxic in an unregulated environment because such wastes are harmful to the environment. Uncontrolled waste disposal could pose serious health risks to people living in proximity to those areas of waste disposal (Passas, 2005). It also causes pollution of water sources, death to people and animals, and it also leads to climate change. Companies found guilty of disposing of toxic wastes should face hefty legal and operational fines and should also be closed down permanently.
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Mining companies have for centuries failed to adequately protect their employees against harm that comes with mining resources. As mining companies continue to increase their production levels through the expansion of projects, companies should take necessary safety measures to protect miners from unforeseen events. For decades, during the period in which the manufacture of Zonolite was taking place, a town known as Libby in Montana was the world's most massive supply of vermiculite. When a company known as W.R. Grace & Company took over the mining operations in 1963, there had already been a few reports of fatalities. Other reports confirmed that several employees had developed lung problems due to exposure to high levels of tremolite asbestos dust. Before the company bought the mines, the executives of the company were well aware of the high levels of asbestos dust but did nothing to protect their employees (King, 2019). The company should have provided better protective gear and should have also sourced machinery that mined vermiculite in a way that it wouldn't contaminate it with asbestos.
Furthermore, the company would also have warned the residents of the dangers of insulating their houses with vermiculite, which contains toxic asbestos dust. Instead, the company went on ahead to use vermiculite in construction works in areas such as playgrounds, backyards, and even roads. W.R. Grace & Company, in turn, suffered a multitude of lawsuits from the mineworkers for failing to warn them about the dangerous levels of asbestos contaminating the vermiculite mine (King, 2019). The state must protect miners, and mining companies should be held responsible for any harm that comes to miners.
Domestic violence, in most cases, goes unnoticed and unpunished. People who suffer domestic violence undergo physical, emotional, and psychological torture. Women are often the most reported cases, but men too suffer domestic violence in terms of verbal and emotional abuse. Domestic violence continues to be a significant problem in society today, and abusers get away with this despicable behavior too often. In Kaminsky’s book "Reflection of a Domestic Violence Prosecutor," she tries to give us an insight into how the criminal justice system fails the victims of abuse. Throughout history, women have been thought to be too emotionally sensitive and are thus labeled to be "emotionally unstable." This backward and outdated stereotype has made its way into the justice system, and abusers who deserve to be locked up end up walking scot-free. Not only is the justice system flawed, but attorneys, judges, and juries alike continue to disempower victims of abuse by conforming to the misguiding stereotypes (Russell, 2013). Kaminsky proves this point by giving an example of a case she once presided over where a defendant accused of rape was acquitted on all charges simply because the victim did not seem to have suffered any abuse. It goes to show that criminals continue to get away with violent crimes with the help of the justice system, which is flawed. Judges and juries continue to be misguided and misinformed and help to reinforce backward stereotypes about female victims of abuse. The justice system should do better in realizing and helping those who suffer abuse to get the justice that they deserve.
When we mention the term Marijuana, people's first thoughts are always negative. They think of hard drugs and their harmful effects on the body. However, Marijuana has a lot of positive results when used in the right way. Medical Marijuana helps to relieve patients with chronic pain and helps to treat people with anxiety and depression. It also helps to prevent vomiting and has been known to help people suffering from seizures. Hudak, in his book entitled “Marijuana: A Short History," describes how there is a discrepancy in public policy implementation. Federal officials criminalize the use of Marijuana and oppress legitimate business owners, thus abusing their power. He is concerned that the state has not yet formulated the right Marijuana policy (Hudak, 2016). In his view, the state should not be benefitting from the booming Marijuana industry when, at the same time, Marijuana remains illegal in the eyes of the federal government. His main argument is that federal officials do not commit themselves adequately to the national policy since they turn a blind eye to violations of the federal law. From his point of view, the state's Marijuana policy will remain to be unjust and ineffective if it is not amended (Hudak, 2016). Marijuana is a perfectly safe substance when highly controlled, and the state, as well as the federal government, should legalize its use provided it is within the confines of the law. People running legitimate Marijuana businesses should not be harassed by federal officials when it suits them. They are just like any other legitimate business and require protection by the law.
In conclusion, every society makes its own rules concerning deviant behavior. Some actions are deemed as crimes in one culture and considered as heroic actions in another. Since time immemorial, people believe certain individual acts to be criminal acts while others are not. For example, society views the commercial use and sale of Marijuana to be criminal behavior. On the other hand, courts give abusers in domestic violence cases lenient rulings while the real victims fail to get the justice they deserve. It is our sole mandate as a society to have clear and straightforward guidelines concerning what is morally acceptable and what is not. Through collective responsibility, we can ensure that those who act within the confines of the law receive protection. Those who don't should face the consequences of their actions.
References
Hudak, J. (2016). Marijuana: a short history . Brookings Institution Press.
King, D. (2019, August 12). The History behind the Libby Tragedy. Retrieved from https://www.asbestos.com/jobsites/libby/
Passas, N. (2005). Lawful but awful: 'Legal corporate crimes.' The journal of socio-economics , 34 (6), 771-786.
Russell, Brenda. (2013). Reflections of a Domestic Violence Prosecutor: Suggestions for Reform. Partner Abuse. 4. 535-540. 10.1891/1946-6560.4.4.535.
