This work investigates the core question of why the American criminal justice system consistently fails to reduce crime while disproportionately targeting the impoverished. Authors Jeffrey Reiman and Paul Leighton utilize extensive sociological data and historical analysis to argue that the system functions not to eliminate crime, but to maintain a specific social order that protects the interests of the wealthy. They present a framework that defines 'crime' through a political lens, highlighting how the legal system ignores corporate and white-collar harms while criminalizing behaviors associated with poverty.

This text is widely regarded as a foundational critique within the field of critical criminology, frequently utilized in academic settings to challenge conventional views on law enforcement. The material provides a dense, evidence-based examination of systemic inequality that remains a standard reference for students and scholars of social justice.