Preview

Summary Of The Rich Get Richer And Poor Get Prison

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
523 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Summary Of The Rich Get Richer And Poor Get Prison
In the article, “The Rich Get Richer and Poor Get Prison” Jefferey H. Reiman clearly depicts that poor citizens have a greater chance for imprisonment over middle and upper- class citizens. The author makes it predominately obvious that he believes, at least as far as criminal justice is concerned, racism is simply one powerful form of economic bias (Reiman 1). Through studies, statics in the article overall show that black Americans with low income rates or no income at all living in “disorganized inner-cities” have an increasingly higher rate to commit crimes resulting in being arrested leading conviction. The criminal justice system functions to ‘weed out’ and thus grants advantages to the middle and upper- class. First, there is economic

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Here in America there are over 2.2 million Americans incarcerated in over 4,575 prisons. In almost every prison there are inmates that are claiming that they are mistreated by the staff. When we think of prisons we see rows and rows of cells with bars and lots of concrete. People have a misconception of what prison is like by what they see on television and in the movies. This is not exactly true and I will show how inmates are actually treated by defining how some prisons and jails operate.…

    • 2667 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Statistics show that African Americans commit only fifteen percent of drug offenses, yet they comprise up to 90% of incarcerations for drug offenses in communities throughout the country. Besides that, although the majority of illegal drug users and dealers are white, three-fourths of all people incarcerated for drug offenses have either been black or Latino. There is clearly something wrong with this picture. The big question is: why is it mostly the minority that is suffering? Looking at it in a Marxists point of view, the answer is pretty simple. It is easier for the officers of the law to exploit those of no authority, e.g. poor blacks, than those who can easily buy their way out, e.g. affluent whites. Although the majority of illegal drug users and dealers are white, three-fourths of all people incarcerated for drug offenses have either been black or Latino. “African Americans––particularly in the poorest neighborhoods––are subject to tactics and practices that would result in public outrage and scandal if committed in middle-class white neighborhoods.”(Alexander 96) What Alexander is trying to convey is that poor African Americans who receive this kind of treatment have no choice but to accept it since they have no resources to take legal action. As one former prosecutor voiced out, “It’s a lot easier to go out to the ‘hood, so to speak, and pick somebody than to put your resources in an undercover [operation in a] community where…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Matt Taibbi's The Divide

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In his novel, The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap, Matt Taibbi juxtaposes the wealthy and the poor in order to illustrate the disparity between the treatment of high-class criminals and lower-class citizens. The novel also notes the growth of the inequality and the schism between the classes. He uses illuminating narratives from both of the classes to demonstrate the huge difference between the rich and the poor in terms of how they are treated by the American justice system. Taibbi’s book opened my eyes to the extent of this injustice and from that I have learned a great deal, most which I can apply to my position as a Resident Advisor.…

    • 1016 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    A stage-level analysis is the examination of disparities at each different stage in the judicial process. Wooldredge argues that disparate treatment of races during the stages of their case processing may help account for large variation in incarceration between different racial/age demographics. Over 5,000 felony cases from urban areas in Ohio were included in his study. Specifically, Wooldredge analyzed how race’s impact on sentencing changed when controlling for legal and extra-legal factors such as age, sex, employment status (2012). The study found that there was no significant difference in sentencing between African Americans and Caucasians when controlling for the severity of the crime committed. However, Wooldredge argues, that does not mean there is no racial bias in the process as a whole. Disparities in the treatment of minorities’ early stages of their case process could certainly account for differences in sentencing severity and rates. Black males between the ages of 18 and 29 receive much harsher treatment in the pre-trial stages. They are less likely to be released on their own recognizance and their bail is likely to be higher than their white counterparts. The author concludes hypothesizing that the differences in pre-trial treatment of black and white defendants are likely connected to sentencing disparities.…

    • 3561 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the book, A place to Stand, by Jimmy Santiago Baca, Baca writes about prison and how being incarcerated can have impact on a person and their family. With the most beautiful, strong and poetic language, Baca tells us the story of all the people who faces difficult times in order to find their place in the world. Baca always felt like he had no place to stand in society because, all of his life he was put down by his family and friends. From the age of five Baca experienced his dad and uncles going in and out of jail from being addicted to alcohol. Baca knew he would eventually end up in jail sooner or later because that’s what he had experienced all of his life. Baca writes, “Whether I was approaching it or seeking escape from it, jail always defined in some way the measure of my life” (3). Baca felt that his life would always head in the wrong direction because of his family issues. Baca shows being in prison can cause a lot of emotional impact on a person’s life, as well as affect the community.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    While proposition 47 reduces many drug related felonies to misdemeanors this may help whites being released from prison as incarceration even for a misdemeanor can have long reaching stratifying effects for Blacks and Hispanics when it comes to jobs, housing and other resources. Which leads to higher recidivism rates for blacks and Latino as the stigma of incarceration adversely impact their life chances chance as they find it hard to rebuild relationships with loved one or find support services once released from prison. Studies have shown black and white felons sent on the interviews with the same, resume information and Felony convictions yielded better results for receive call backs for or a job, while blacks with the no call back s our job.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Alexander, who for many years worked as a civil rights lawyer, uses her vast experience and knowledge concerning the criminal justice system to craft a meticulously researched argument that “colorblindness” is this generation’s most important civil rights issue. As the title indicates, she makes the bold claim that mass incarceration is the 21st century version of Jim Crow. This era in our racial history was one in which brutally devastating laws discriminated and segregated black populations. During Jim Crow, the idea of justice did not exist for black people within law enforcement or court systems. Though her argument is daring, Alexander successfully proves it by analyzing the criminal justice system. She discusses multiple ideas to formulate a case for individuals who are interested in social justice that refocus efforts to tackle the issue of over-populated prisons. In the books introduction, Alexander asserts that she is writing for an audience that cares deeply about racial justice, but also, she wants to empower individuals who have a impression that our nation’s criminal justice system is flawed, but do not have the data or evidence to back up their assumptions.…

    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jeffrey Reiman, author of The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, first published his book in 1979; it is now in its sixth edition, and he has continued to revise it as he keeps up on criminal justice statistics and other trends in the system. Reiman originally wrote his book after teaching for seven years at the School of Justice (formerly the Center for the Administration of Justice), which is a multidisciplinary, criminal justice education program at American University in Washington, D.C. He drew heavily from what he had learned from his colleagues at that university. Reiman is the William Fraser McDowell Professor of Philosophy at American University, where he has taught since 1970. He has written numerous books on political philosophy, criminology, and sociology.…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It should be noted, the criminal justice system in the United States of America is represented by a picture of a balanced scale. In theory, the scales of justice is supposed to be fair, and impartial, the scales are balanced, which signifies it’s equallity. However, the earlier example reveals that justice is not fair, and that minorities are unjustly targetted more than the majority group. The Critical Race Theory in a sense qualifies and quantifies the role race plays in every aspect of the American life. It qualifies it from the perspective that it explains systems of oppression and discrimination are purposely given to people based on race/ethnicity/gender and class. It quantifies it the statistical data that shows an unfair distribution of wealth and power that excludes the same group of people forcing them to deal with systemic inequalities and systems of oppression.…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Through a macroscopic lens, oppression is viewed as a systematic disconnect that is detrimental to those groups who are affected. The criminal justice system’s perspective on crime and victimization would be an astonishing point to describe the macroscopic oppression that occurs with incarcerate African American men. However, systematically, the overall goal of the criminal justice system is to protect society from harmful people who hinder improvement within the community. In regards to society, there is a bigger picture that is painted to reveal African Americans as being…

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The shameful history of the United States is a burden that is currently affecting everything from education to legal policy. Racial segregation has taken a toll on society and the lives of many minorities. The American judicial system lacks the understanding of human potential by targeting low income minorities and subjugating them for petty misdemeanors. Due to racial discrimination, false allegations towards minorities have resulted in wrongfully incarcerated people for petty crimes; more than likely, they will serve longer sentences for these offenses than a Caucasian person would. Without the necessary resources provided, lack of social capital can inflict damage to their reputation and the overall racial perception society has on minorities.…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The high rates of imprisonment among poor men reflect the effects of mass incarceration on the microlevel as well as the outcome of when law enforcement focuses on socioeconomic disadvantages in urban communities. Could it be that the criminal Justice system is deeply embedded in maintain poverty racially condense areas? Evidence shows mixed views of the social consequences of mass incarceration. This is due to the problem of invisible equality where those who are incarcerated are unavailable for social research, thus affecting statistics on severe economic disadvantage regarding mass incarceration. For one employment rates have decreased with the increase of incarceration rates. There is limited proof that mass incarceration undermines family…

    • 157 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Michelle Alexander, mass incarceration defines the meaning of blackness in America today. That is to say, being black connotes being a criminal and being a criminal is a contemporary “code word” for being black. The new Jim Crow evolved as a rebranded way to deal with race in America or as Alexander put it, an adaptation to the demands of the current political climate. It is perfectly legitimate in this day and age to discriminate against criminals just as it was to explicitly discriminate against people of color. However, the increase in incarceration has mainly targeted this same group (people of color) which is why it is just a relabeled system; African Americans are still facing the brunt of discrimination under new terms.…

    • 356 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dating back some time ago, the African American race was brought into this country for to become slaves and serve the White American race. All of this was established based on the tone of their skin being ugly and seen as being deformed and the white American race were destined to be the superior race overruling African Americans in every aspect giving them basically no rights at all. Although slavery days are long and gone some may say that the White American race still has an upper hand on the African Americans by using the criminal justice system against them. This topic of racial inequality within the criminal justice system of the United States also known as “the land of the free” has become more and more relevant based upon the rising number of arrests and the highly populated penal institution mostly occupied by African Americans. These rising numbers of African Americans in penal institutions have contributed greatly to the stereotype of a young African American male. Most African American males today either has family incarcerated or know someone that is and people on the outside looking automatically thinks that that young male will experience life inside of a facility at some part of their life. Almost at every stage of the criminal justice process white Americans have a better chance of getting off than African Americans while they might be accused of committing the same exact crime. White and African Americans are said to be using the same amount of drugs and narcotics at about the same rate but statistics show that African Americans are .highly outnumbering white Americans inside of penal institutions for nonviolent drug offenses. This paper will go in depth with the more proof such as statistics and facts that African Americans are experiencing racial inequalities within the criminal justice…

    • 306 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The role of race plays a prominent role in the U.S. criminal justice system. The United States claims to have a race-neutral criminal justice system but the number of arrested black men is significantly higher than white men even though whites are just as likely to be guilty of several crimes, especially drugs. The system, according to Alexander, leads to discriminatory results throughout each stage of the criminal justice process. The rates of black imprisonment cannot be explained by crime rates because discrimination in the system invalidates crime rates. Racial disparities start with the initial stop, search and arrest to the plea bargaining and sentencing, keeping the undercaste majorly black and brown. I believe a major ethical issue…

    • 169 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays