Official Review: FIXING THIS BROKEN THING: The American C...
Posted: 13 Nov 2018, 10:39
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "FIXING THIS BROKEN THING: The American Criminal Justice System" by James B Bolen, Ph.D..]
4 out of 4 stars
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It is no secret that the American criminal justice system has countless flaws. Every day, the media bombards us with all the problems throughout our government and criminal justice system, but no one seems to be presenting much in the way of actual solutions. Bolen, in his book Fixing This Broken Thing…The American Criminal Justice System, is attempting to change that fact by openly discussing the issues, as well as presenting logical solutions that, if implemented, would go a long way in correcting the problems we face as a nation.
James B. Bolen, Ph. D, served the nation in the Marine Corps before pursing his career in the criminal justice system in Chicago, and achieving his Doctorate in Criminal Justice at the University of Chicago. With his years of education and experience, Bolen has acquired the necessary knowledge and has earned his place as an authority on the topics he discusses throughout his book. He is not merely an angry citizen, he is a professional who has seen the issues first hand and has come up with clearly defined solutions that would help the system to run more efficiently, making the nation safer for the people.
Fixing This Broken Thing is divided up into six sections; the first four focus on presenting the problems and solutions in various aspects of the criminal justice system. Chapter five outlines a surprising method of building the funds to support the changes he proposes, and the final chapter discusses the source of change—the people. Along the way, Bolen offers shocking solutions that, at first seem like they may be going too far, but as he explains his positions, his ideas reveal themselves to be logical, bordering on common sense to the point where it seems almost ridiculous that they have yet to be implemented.
From page one, I had a hard time setting the book down. I found myself drawn to his passionate yet professional style of writing. Throughout the text, Bolen shares stomach-churning cases he experienced in his career, proving the inefficiency and corruptness of the current criminal justice system. His solutions are nothing short of brilliant, although at first many seem quite harsh. For instance, he proposes determinant sentences for a variety of crimes, many of which are quite drastic and might appear too strict; however, he continues on to argue that prevention, not punishment, is the main goal, and I could not agree more. Readers may get hung up on his no-nonsense, exacting ideas in some areas, and people on both sides of the political spectrum may get their feathers ruffled, but I implore them to stick with him, because it all comes together in the end.
Aside from a few format and grammar issues, the only criticism I have is Bolen’s tendency to overuse capitalization. I understand that he wants to emphasize certain points he is making, but the frequency of the CAPS reached a level where it was distracting, forcing the text to balance the fine line between professionalism and ranting, though it never quite crossed the line. His messages along with the voice he uses is powerful enough and does not need the visual emphasis.
It deserves more, but I am limited, so I rate Fixing This Broken Thing…The American Criminal Justice System 4 out of 4 stars. The minor grammar flaws and the capitalizations are not enough to detract from the arguments Bolen presents. It is my hope that I will soon be seeing this book at the top of the bestseller charts, and I recommend the book to anyone and everyone. It is an important book, and one that I believe could help change the nation and the criminal justice system for the better.
******
FIXING THIS BROKEN THING: The American Criminal Justice System
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
It is no secret that the American criminal justice system has countless flaws. Every day, the media bombards us with all the problems throughout our government and criminal justice system, but no one seems to be presenting much in the way of actual solutions. Bolen, in his book Fixing This Broken Thing…The American Criminal Justice System, is attempting to change that fact by openly discussing the issues, as well as presenting logical solutions that, if implemented, would go a long way in correcting the problems we face as a nation.
James B. Bolen, Ph. D, served the nation in the Marine Corps before pursing his career in the criminal justice system in Chicago, and achieving his Doctorate in Criminal Justice at the University of Chicago. With his years of education and experience, Bolen has acquired the necessary knowledge and has earned his place as an authority on the topics he discusses throughout his book. He is not merely an angry citizen, he is a professional who has seen the issues first hand and has come up with clearly defined solutions that would help the system to run more efficiently, making the nation safer for the people.
Fixing This Broken Thing is divided up into six sections; the first four focus on presenting the problems and solutions in various aspects of the criminal justice system. Chapter five outlines a surprising method of building the funds to support the changes he proposes, and the final chapter discusses the source of change—the people. Along the way, Bolen offers shocking solutions that, at first seem like they may be going too far, but as he explains his positions, his ideas reveal themselves to be logical, bordering on common sense to the point where it seems almost ridiculous that they have yet to be implemented.
From page one, I had a hard time setting the book down. I found myself drawn to his passionate yet professional style of writing. Throughout the text, Bolen shares stomach-churning cases he experienced in his career, proving the inefficiency and corruptness of the current criminal justice system. His solutions are nothing short of brilliant, although at first many seem quite harsh. For instance, he proposes determinant sentences for a variety of crimes, many of which are quite drastic and might appear too strict; however, he continues on to argue that prevention, not punishment, is the main goal, and I could not agree more. Readers may get hung up on his no-nonsense, exacting ideas in some areas, and people on both sides of the political spectrum may get their feathers ruffled, but I implore them to stick with him, because it all comes together in the end.
Aside from a few format and grammar issues, the only criticism I have is Bolen’s tendency to overuse capitalization. I understand that he wants to emphasize certain points he is making, but the frequency of the CAPS reached a level where it was distracting, forcing the text to balance the fine line between professionalism and ranting, though it never quite crossed the line. His messages along with the voice he uses is powerful enough and does not need the visual emphasis.
It deserves more, but I am limited, so I rate Fixing This Broken Thing…The American Criminal Justice System 4 out of 4 stars. The minor grammar flaws and the capitalizations are not enough to detract from the arguments Bolen presents. It is my hope that I will soon be seeing this book at the top of the bestseller charts, and I recommend the book to anyone and everyone. It is an important book, and one that I believe could help change the nation and the criminal justice system for the better.
******
FIXING THIS BROKEN THING: The American Criminal Justice System
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Natalie Charlene's review? Post a comment saying so!