--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It had long been true, and prisoners knew…" description: "\"It had long been true, and prisoners knew this better than anyone, that the poorer you were the more likely you were to end up in jail. This was not ju..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/howard-zinn-576_bail_it-had-long-been-true-and-prisoners-knew_1193077.jpg" --- # It had long been true, and prisoners knew this better than… ![“It had long been true, and prisoners knew this better than anyone, that the poorer you were the more likely you were to end up in jail. This was not just because the poor committed more crimes. In fact, they did. The rich did not have to commit crimes to get what they wanted; the laws were on…” quote by Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/howard-zinn-576_bail_it-had-long-been-true-and-prisoners-knew_1193077.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/howard-zinn-576_bail_it-had-long-been-true-and-prisoners-knew_1193077.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f3/howard-zinn-576_bail_it-had-long-been-true-and-prisoners-knew_1193077.jpg) > “It had long been true, and prisoners knew this better than anyone, that the poorer you were the more likely you were to end up in jail. This was not just because the poor committed more crimes. In fact, they did. The rich did not have to commit crimes to get what they wanted; the laws were on their side. But when the rich did commit crimes, they often were not prosecuted, and if they were they could get out on bail, hire clever lawyers, get better treatment from judges. Somehow, the jails ended up full of poor black people.” [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic disparity leads to disproportionate incarceration of the poor, while wealth can evade legal consequences. **In simple terms:** Poor are jailed more often than rich. Key Takeaway Address systemic bias in justice. Themes justice inequality poverty law systemic bias Mood critical concerned Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - policy advocacy - community legal aid - educational programs - research on sentencing - public awareness campaigns Key Concepts economic disparity criminal justice reform racial discrimination legal inequality Questions to Reflect On - What reforms could reduce economic bias in sentencing? - How can communities support those unfairly targeted? A Different Perspective Change requires political will and societal shift. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bail/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-people/) [Clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever/) [Commit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commit/) [Commit Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commit-crimes/) [Committed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committed/) [Committed Crimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/committed-crimes-739824/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Get better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-better/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Jail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jail/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor Committed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-committed-3547712/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Prisoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoner/) [Prisoners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoners/) [Prisoners Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prisoners-knew-1380327/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) ## Related quotes > [“The prisons in the United States had long been an extreme reflection of the American system itself: the stark life differences between rich and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-prisons-in-the-united-states-had-long-been-an-extreme-reflection/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [My arrest was on every bloody TV set. 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This was not just because the poor committed more crimes. In fact, they did. The rich did not have to commit crimes to get what they wanted; the laws were on their side. But when the rich did commit crimes, they often were not prosecuted, and if they were they could get out on bail, hire clever lawyers, get better treatment from judges. 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