Deviance and Injustice
Question 1.
To maintain a stable and visible “class” of criminals, five elements are identified as victimless crime, discretion, cruel and unusual punishment, lack of employment, and debt to society (Reiman 142). Victimless crime represents the development of las that prevent acts that have no unwilling victim such as laws against gabling, drug use, and prostitution. Discretion points to the powers conferred to the police, judges, and the prosecutors to make decisions on who to arrest, charge, and sentence to prison terms (Reiman 142). The cruel and unusual punishment element points to how the prison experience is made painful and demeaning with no privacy and zero control over actions and time (Reiman 142). Lack of employment means that prisoners are intentionally denied an opportunity to redeem themselves in a society by receiving no job training, being restrained from working after their release, and keeping prisoner records as permanent record to prevent future employers from hiring (Reiman 142). Debt to society requires ex-offenders to carry a constant debt by revoking their right to vote, constant harassment by the police, and are at the mercies of the criminal justice system (Reiman 142). For people in positions of power, blaming the poor deflects the disconnect and hostility of Middle America, away from other classes above them, and towards lower classes. It allows the middle class, the majority of Americans, to frown upon the poor as opposed to the rich. TED (6:1-37) mentions that the justice system is meant for the poor and protects the wealthy. The criminal justice system is not meant to provide justice for all but to make it look like crime is only the work of the poor.
Question 2.
The opposite of poverty is justice. This quote places a relationship between poverty and justice. It means that when one is poor getting justice is an issue. The opposite of poverty is wealth, yes, but wealthy people do not have to face the same justice system as the poor. When one is poor, getting justice is near impossible. The quote points to how poor people are exposed to a different justice system compared to wealthy Americans. Wealth is equated to justice, albeit force or corrupt justice. The poor and the disadvantaged do not stand a chance at justice in the American criminal justice system. The system is meant to reinforce public fear of crimes committed by those under poverty (Reiman 141). The definition of justice for poor communities is different from what is defined in law. In the American system, one is related differently, and much better, if they have money than when they are poor. The justice system has shaped outcomes in urban dwellings and in communities populated by people of color. As a result, wealth is seen to be a key determinant of justice (TED, 5:55-6:56). The politics of fear and anger have made the definition of justice to be altered, with those that are afflicted having no say and those not affected seeing the issue as not of concern to them. Therefore, the opposite of poverty is justice.
