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"A Tale of Two Systems: Socioeconomic Inequality and Criminal Justice in the United States" 

Guest Lecture at ISU Marburg 2026

Dr. Lisa Kruse
Professor and Chair
Department of Sociology & Criminology
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

The United States Criminal Justice System is infamous for excessive rates of incarceration that is unequal along race, gender, and class lines. Along each, there are two systems of justice where the dominant group: white, middle class males experience much different treatment than those who are poor, minority, and women. In his TED talk, "We Need to Talk about an Injustice", Bryan Stevenson illustrates this when he states: “there is power in identity … we have a system in this country that treats you better if you are rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent.”
In this talk, Prof. Kruse will focus on the inequality of class and how the poor’s experience of criminal justice is both vastly different and the key to understanding a better way forward. 

When:
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
16.15 hrs (CEST)

Where:
Online

How to join:
ISU 2026 students will be provided the link.

Interested audience: Please send an email in order to receive the link.