Summary of Matt Taibbi's The Divide approaches the complicated topic of the unequal treatment of defendants in the United States criminal justice system based on wealth, through individual stories and rarely heard cases revealed in court proceedings.

In the US, bankers and financial officials whose unethical and illegal behavior contributed to the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent economic scandals rarely faced prosecution for their activities. Instead, either the very smallest actors in those activities were prosecuted, or the companies negotiated fines and settlements outside of court. Many of these cases made use of the collateral consequences, a principle based on a memorandum written by Attorney General Eric Handler that states prosecutors should consider whether prosecution would cause too many lost jobs or too much financial harm to the company.

Policing in major US cities generates a high volume of arrests, criminal charges for trivial offenses, and economic incentives not to fight allegations in court…