Date Approved
4-15-2025
Graduate Degree Type
Project
Degree Name
Social Innovation (M.A.)
Degree Program
School of Community Leadership & Development
First Advisor
Mark Hoffman
Academic Year
2024/2025
Abstract
This project explores the underutilized profit potential of criminal justice in the United States. Its systemic design and aggressive market positioning have made long-term success possible. Nevertheless, this is just the beginning; there are new revenue streams to unlock and untapped markets to capture. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research identifies key historical policies, how collateral consequences contribute to customer retention and acquisition, and current barriers to profit maximization. The findings emphasize the importance of a coordinated, multi-level strategy involving lawmakers, media, corporations, and private stakeholders to protect and expand revenue streams, manipulate public perception, and disrupt reform efforts. By analyzing acquisition and retention models, this study provides actionable insights for maximizing profit, minimizing resistance, and reshaping the system and the public’s perspective to increase economic opportunities and incentives within criminal justice.
ScholarWorks Citation
Lindell, Alexandra J., "Building Wealth One Sentence at a Time: A Capitalist’s Guide to Criminal Justice" (2025). Culminating Experience Projects. 548.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gradprojects/548
