Secondary Resource Process Sheet

Source 11
Type: Website
Bibliography Information:
Vincent, Thomas. "More Depressing Proof of How the U.S. Legal System Protects the Rich and Imprisons the Poor." Real
Change. Real Change News, 22 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
Author or Editor: Thomas Vincent
Name of magazine, book, etc: Real Change
Title of article: More depressing proof of how the U.S. legal system protects the rich and imprisons the poor
Publishing Co: Real Change News
City: Not Listed
Year: 2012
Internet address:
http://realchangenews.org/index.php/site/archives/6351
Summary:
As unfair as this trend is, this doesnt get at the true horror of Justice. For while the elite class has been rigging the
legal system in its favor, it has been upping the ante for the rest of us. Laws that apply largely to the poor and powerless
have been strengthened and punishments increased. The net result of this trend, according to Greenwald, is a twotiered system of justice in which those in the upper echelons of political and financial power are virtually immune from
prosecution, while the poor and powerless are imprisoned with alacrity. The criminal justice system is now almost
exclusively reserved for ordinary Americans, who are routinely subjected to harsh punishments even for the pettiest of
offenses. Justice is an eloquent, well-researched book filled with passionate and compelling arguments. It is well
worth reading. The only issue I have with the book is that, from a readers standpoint, Greenwald doesnt present any
realistic strategies for change or provide any hope that things will get better anytime soon. If anything, his answer to
Yes We Can is a resolute fuggedaboutit: The future toward which the United States is inexorably heading is not
difficult to imagine. At some point, serious social unrest is the inevitable result when ... ordinary people are threatened
with imprisonment for petty offenses while they see elites illegally spying, invading, torturing, and plundering with
nearly total impunity. Such a two-tiered setup is simply unsustainable. For those revolutionaries who are ready to don
their black bandannas and man the barricades, Justice will provide much in the way of rhetorical ammunition. For the
rest of us, however, before cracking this book, you might be wise to lay in a supply of Xanax.
Why is this source important?
This source is important because it directly explains wealth bias in the law system.