Customer Reviews

The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Ideology, Class, and Criminal Justice (Allyn & Bacon Criminal Justice)

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Professor Reiman's book goes beyond what is perceived as the usual worn out academic argument of blaming crime on poverty. The book is very clear that the problem of crime is much more complex than a simple correlation of "poverty causes crime." The main point of the book is that capitalism causes crime. Capitalism also causes poverty, but further, capitalism causes greed and power. Reiman makes an important move (though not the first one to do so) by looking into white-collar crime and how the rich are getting richer by breaking serious laws that have a huge impact on our economy and our society's general quality of life; while the poor are getting prison for committing crimes with far less macro ramifications for society. White-collar crime is linked to poverty only in the since that without poverty, white-collar crime would not be possible. This takes us back to the position that capitalism causes crime. However, Reiman is careful not to be a believer in utopian ideals. There is no suggestion in his book that crime would disappear if our society were to move toward, or become, a just society. The point is that crime would be less necessary if poverty and greed were not social norms.

Professor Reiman constructs a well researched argument to show why our prisons are overflowing with people who were under-represented (if at all) in court because their economic status caused them to have an incompetent or over-worked court appointed attorney; while people like Kenneth Lay are still free and endangering our society. This book is an important tool for understanding current social relations and what we have to do before we can be safe and free.

This is a wake-up call. Jeffrey Reiman presents us an impeccably researched, very forceful argument against the criminal justice system as it is. He makes some claims that initially seem incredibly shocking and wild, but by the time you finish you'll at least understand if not fully agree.

Basically, Reiman lays out how the criminal justice system has, over time and unintentionally, become the center of a class struggle. He argues that those in power receive the benefits, and the poorest suffer for their gain. He focuses on the ignorance of the fact that the upper classes are causing the most harm much of the time, yet still receive much lighter sentences than the relatively minor crimes of the poor. He touches on the idiocy of the wildly unsuccessful War on Drugs; the need for effective gun control; and the solutions lying within the alleviation of the harsh realities of poor, inner-city life.

His politics are far left; in fact, a little left of far left. This book is not for the faint of heart (he proposes the legalization of heroin at one point) or Republicans (probably most Democrats will find themselves a bit uncomfortable, too.) It's a fascinating, tight argument though that will at the very least create realization of some strong feelings regarding the criminal justice process.

I was assigned to read this book for a criminology class. This book presents and deals with some very pressing points and downfalls of our Criminal Justice system. It deals with the racial imbalance in arrest and conviction, and actually addresses white collar crime, something that is rarely ever discussed. Overall, I would reccommend this book to anyone involved in Sociology or Criminal Justice, or anyone who is just interested in finding out how our CJ system really works, beyond what most anyone is willing to admit.

I found Reiman's work to be of high scholarly value to any critical thinker regardless of field. He willingly unravels myths that have long banded our eyes to the deeper anomalies and injustices of this 'criminal' 'justice' SYSTEM. Hopefully, others in related fields will follow his example, not readily accepting the obvious impression as a true impression, but to test what is a real image and what is distorted.

Everything in this book seems to make so much sense, but why can't more people think this way? Our justice system in honestly going nowhere, and truthfully it is doing nothing to prevent crime, let alone rehablitate criminals. Recidivism-70% SAD! Something needs to be done, and I love the arguments presented in this book. Now we can back ourselves up in arguments on the topic of crime. I highly recommend this book to sociologists and anyone currently working in the justice system. We need to wake up!

This book provides extensive documentation on the crimes that are our worst threats. Reiman critiques the criminal justice system, and gives the reader a new take on crime. He explains precisely how white collar crime is our biggest threat to life and limb, and by far the most costly. He also provides an explanation for this phenomenon, and why it continues to exist. An excellent book and a must read for anyone interested in crime

Professor Reiman's latest work is on point. The citizens of this country who read, who vote, who have some degree of influence over politicians must start to work now. Work as if you were marching to the railroad siding and the cattle cars and the eventual Final Solution. The US Constitution and the body of laws in the USA are perverted and only you can help. Jeff Reiman's clear and exciting words spell out the problem and the solution. After reading this book you will want to take one of Professor Reiman's CJ Courses ... I was one of his students in the 1970's at American University and his was the only class I really wanted to be in!

I found this book to be very questionable in its content. It delivered ideas well, but regurgitated them beyond sense. I found myself interested in the first chapter, then found myself reading the same thing over again. Also, Reiman tries to implement the idea that poor people deserve a college education! He puts it in between life necessities such as shelter, food, and jobs. Excuse me, Dr. Reiman, but I'd appreciate it if my college education actually has value. I enjoyed the first chapter, but found myself questioning the integrity of this book as I began the third chapter. Everyone has the opportunity; there are different means and obstacles we encounter, but the deserving part irked me a little bit.

I have not been able to read the book yet, but it is in really good condition. Thank you.

While Reiman does probe the reader with thought provoking questions and complaints about the state of our criminal justice system, the majority of his logic is sophomoric at best if not outright contradictory to positions voiced earlier in his text. This is the seventh edition of his book, with the first having been published in 1979. Some statistics are updated in this most recent edition, but a large number of them are carried over from earlier editions. Restating twenty year-old statistics outside of the context of comparison to more recent studies of the same subjects raises serious questions as to the current relevance of his arguments made with data from two decades ago. Additionally, of the few suggestions he offers for the improvement of his perceived injustices, even fewer of them contain concrete steps to achieve measurable change. Overall, this book has some potential to lead the reader to raise valuable questions regarding our criminal justice system and our society's definition of justice itself. Unfortunately, the answers to any questions raised in the readers' minds will not be found in Reiman's writing, as ultimately, this text is little more than an idealistic diatribe.