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Book Analysis
The rich get richer and the poor get prison
CRJ 438
Contact me (+254707831614) For help with assignments, essays, exams etc.
, 2
Theme and purpose of the book
The book has several themes tied around the American criminal justice system which
have to do with race, class and gender. In its element, the book is meant to argue that the
American criminal justice system does not work to alleviate crime rates per se, rather, it projects
crime as work of the poor which explains why American prisons are filled with more poor
people. As such, given that crime in the United States is a multi-billion-dollar industry, since we
have a lot of people who benefit from such, the disparities in wealth, opportunities and privilege
help serve the interests of the rich people in America.
These are the very individuals who have the capacity to change and revamp the criminal
justice systems if it never served their interests. In this sense therefore, it is important not to view
the criminal justice systems through the basic elements which are police departments and
prisons. To have a better understanding about the book, we must factor in policy makers, mostly
rich individuals or people that are controlled by the rich to make and pass some policies. This is
why we say crime is a social construct. In the void of these policies, would we really have any
crime factoring in that there would be no policies to be broken?
Theories applicable to the book
Several criminology theories are applicable to this book and can be used to explain some
concepts which might seem to be abstract. One of the theories which I found applicable to this
book is the conflict theory of criminology. According to Bystrove & Gottschalk (2015), social
inequality is the leading cause of criminal behavior within a society. This further raises the
question on the fact that, while the American criminal justice system has been designed in a way
Book Analysis
The rich get richer and the poor get prison
CRJ 438
Contact me (+254707831614) For help with assignments, essays, exams etc.
, 2
Theme and purpose of the book
The book has several themes tied around the American criminal justice system which
have to do with race, class and gender. In its element, the book is meant to argue that the
American criminal justice system does not work to alleviate crime rates per se, rather, it projects
crime as work of the poor which explains why American prisons are filled with more poor
people. As such, given that crime in the United States is a multi-billion-dollar industry, since we
have a lot of people who benefit from such, the disparities in wealth, opportunities and privilege
help serve the interests of the rich people in America.
These are the very individuals who have the capacity to change and revamp the criminal
justice systems if it never served their interests. In this sense therefore, it is important not to view
the criminal justice systems through the basic elements which are police departments and
prisons. To have a better understanding about the book, we must factor in policy makers, mostly
rich individuals or people that are controlled by the rich to make and pass some policies. This is
why we say crime is a social construct. In the void of these policies, would we really have any
crime factoring in that there would be no policies to be broken?
Theories applicable to the book
Several criminology theories are applicable to this book and can be used to explain some
concepts which might seem to be abstract. One of the theories which I found applicable to this
book is the conflict theory of criminology. According to Bystrove & Gottschalk (2015), social
inequality is the leading cause of criminal behavior within a society. This further raises the
question on the fact that, while the American criminal justice system has been designed in a way
