ABSTRACT
A criminal justice system is a mirror in which a whole society can see the darker outlines of its face. In particular, entertain the idea that the goal of American criminal justice system is not to eliminate crime or to achieve justice but to project to the American public a credible image of threat of crime as a threat from the poor. In recent years, America has quadrupled its prison population and allowed police wide discretion to stop and search people. American criminal justice system is characterized by beliefs about what is criminal and how to deal with crime that predate industrial society. Rather than being anyone’s conscious plan, the system reflects attitudes so deeply embedded in tradition as to appear natural. The view that social order is responsible for crime does not mean that individuals are wholly blameless for their criminal acts, or that we ought not to have a criminal justice system able to protect us against them.
