Official Review: FIXING THIS BROKEN THING: The American C...

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any non-fiction books such as autobiographies or political commentary books.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
Natalie Charlene
Posts: 115
Joined: 15 Jul 2016, 23:08
Favorite Book: The Crux
Currently Reading: Cosmic Queries
Bookshelf Size: 54
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-natalie-charlene.html
Latest Review: The Bird Ride by Wade W. Bergner

Official Review: FIXING THIS BROKEN THING: The American C...

Post by Natalie Charlene »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "FIXING THIS BROKEN THING: The American Criminal Justice System" by James B Bolen, Ph.D..]
Book Cover
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!
User avatar
Samantha Simoneau
Posts: 766
Joined: 02 Apr 2018, 10:51
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 240
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-samantha-simoneau.html
Latest Review: Dancing With Jesus by Allison Broughton
Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG

Post by Samantha Simoneau »

Your review has me intensely curious about the author's "clearly defined solutions." I'm going to look into this one. Thanks!
Samantha Simoneau

“But upon the stage of life, while conscience claps, let the world hiss! On the contrary if conscience disapproves, the loudest applauses of the world are of little value."
~John Adams :greetings-clapyellow:
User avatar
kandscreeley
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 11683
Joined: 31 Dec 2016, 20:31
Currently Reading: Believarexic
Bookshelf Size: 486
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kandscreeley.html
Latest Review: The Elf Revelation by Jordan David

Post by kandscreeley »

I agree that the criminal justice system isn't perfect. I even agree that it could use some changes. But, I sure would rather be in America than in some other countries when it comes to that. Still, I'm very curious as to what the author proposes. It's one thing to just point out the issues. It's another to actually propose solutions, so I applaud the author for that.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
Post Reply

Return to “Non-Fiction Books”