The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison Essay example

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†¦show more content†¦The decline in violent crime is more attributable to demographic changes than to enforcement efforts. Most of the decline in crime results from forces beyond the control of the criminal justice systems. Reiman also fe els that we could reduce crime if we wanted to do so, and that our excuses are not really answers to the problem, but merely excuses to explain why the system fails. We know the causes of crime—poverty, prison, and drugs—yet we do nothing to change how these things operate, such as banning guns and decriminalizing drugs. In the chapter, A Crime by Any Other Name . . . , Reiman considers how language is used to identify some actions, and he argues that such things as workplace-related deaths that could be prevented should be considered crimes, as well. As far as the criminal justice system is concerned, the face of crime is young, male, poor, and black. Reiman believes that the criminal justice system helps create this reality, projecting a particular image of crime and hiding the larger reality of social injustice and even white-collar crime. They identify crime as a direct, personal assault and ignore many other damages caused by carelessness and greed of a different order. Reiman details threats from the workplace, the health care system, the use of chemicals by various companies, and poverty itself, none of which are considered crimes. Reiman feels that the criminal justice systemShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison12486 Words   |  50 PagesThe Rich Get R icher and the Poor Get Prison JEFFREY H. REIMAN American University or the same criminal behavior, the poor are more likely to be arrested; if arrested, they are more likely to be charged; if charged, more likely to be convicted; if convicted, more likely to be sentenced to prison; and if sentenced, more likely to be given longer prison terms than members of the middle and upper classes.1 In other words, the image of the criminal population one sees in our nation’s jails and prisonsRead MoreThe Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffrey Reiman1268 Words   |  6 PagesThe Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffrey Reiman 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 justiceRead MoreAnalysis of The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffrey H Reiman1506 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Introduction The book The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison by Jeffrey H. Reiman provides a very interesting account of how the rich are being treated by the criminal justice system in a more favorable than the poorer and nonviolent criminals who are generally mistreated. Reiman started his book by stating that the recently noted decline in crime rate is skewed. This is clear in the 12th page of his book when he stated that After more than 20 years of telling us that crime was growing outRead MoreThe Rich Get Richer And The Poor Get Prison By Jeffery Reimer And Paul Livingston Essay1440 Words   |  6 Pagesof this report will be the findings from the readings of, â€Å"The rich get richer and the poor get prison by Jeffery Reimer and Paul Livingston†. I will discuss the causes of the rise and fall of the many different types of crimes ; why the rise and fall of crime rates; what contribution has the criminal justice and or police system has contributed whether positive or negative ; and lastly discuss which economic group ends up in prison and why. 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There is an ideological message that supports the status quo built in to any criminal justice system by its nature. Suppose that the criminal justice system was not failing and it were not biased against the poor it would still by nature send a message supportive of institutions. By doing thatRead MoreThe Criminal Justice System : An Analysis Of Income And Racial Inequality Essay1586 Words   |  7 Pagesto classism and racism. Essentially, the criminal justice system harasses the poor and the African- American male, but favors the wealthy and affluent. Throughout this essay, one will be enlightened on how income and racial inequality affects the American criminal justice system as well as the high recidivism rate of African-American males. The criminal justice system is made for two groups of people: the poor and the wealthy. However, both parties do not benefit from the system. In actualityRead MoreCriminal Justice System And The United States1183 Words   |  5 Pagesthat accompany committing (seemingly petty) crimes— such as missing court dates, a requirement for classes such as anger management, the list goes on. Indeed, the practice of debtor’s prison has long been ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court within the United States, yet a contemporary form of debtor’s prison has begun to take form which targets vulnerable populations. When an individual commits a crime, they are to be justly punished. If this punishment consists of a fine, that fine is expectedRead MoreThe Theory Of The Criminal Justice System1292 Words   |  6 PagesA conspiracy theory is a theory that argues that the rich and those with power seek the make sure the criminal justice system fails because they benefit from that failure. Conspiracy theories are hard to be proven and for it to succeed, it has to be kept a secret. There’s no credibility in the sources due to the degree of secrecy. Conspiracy theories are invalid because it doesn’t correspond with how people behave most of the time. The Pyrrhic defeat theory isn’t a conspiracy theory because the theoryRead MoreCanadas Justice System Essay examples1503 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscrimination that’s quite evident through out the legal system is that of class segregation. The poor are far more frequent in jail then the middle and upper class, but is it just a coincidence? Or are they being targeted by middle class police officers, lawyers, and judges? Through out this critical assessment of the Canada’s justice system it is important first to identify the poor, then to identify the criminals, and conclude if there is any direct relationship between the