When most people hear the term “multi-level marketing” (MLM), they think of pyramid schemes disguised as business opportunities, where those at the top profit off the exploitation of those below.
It’s a cult of personality where the most influential drive fancy company cars, attend glamorous conventions, and live “the good life” while people at the bottom wish for success.
What if I told you the American criminal justice system operates pretty much the same way?
No, it doesn’t try to sell you diet shakes or essential oils; those are products that at least some people want to buy.
Instead it often sells false promises: of justice, safety, rehabilitation, all while thriving on volume, secrecy, and the suffering of those trapped at the bottom.
The Buy-In: A Ticket You Didn’t Ask For
In MLMs, you’re often pressured to “invest” in a starter kit. A base set of products to show potential customers and begin recruiting others.
In the justice system, your buy-in might be a traffic ticket, a low-level misdemeanor, or a missed court date. The initial infraction often seems minor, but it sets off a chain reaction. Suddenly, you’re paying fees, attending mandatory programs, and juggling court appearances.
You’ve entered the system, and you’re now expected to “work your way out.”
But unlike an MLM, where you chose to sign up, most people caught up in the criminal justice machine never opted in. They were born into over-policed neighborhoods, lacked access to legal help, or were profiled by institutions that disproportionately target Black, brown, disabled, and poor individuals.
Everyone Up Top Profits
In an MLM, only a tiny percentage of participants actually make money. The same is true in the criminal justice system, except here, “profit” comes in the form of budget increases, promotions, federal grants, or political clout.
Prosecutors boost conviction rates to run for office. Judges maintain a “tough on crime” image for reelection campaigns. Private prisons and contractors like Keefe cash in on warm bodies behind bars. Bail bondsmen, testing labs, and mandated treatment centers rake in millions.
But they’re all selling you snake oil.
Every arrest, plea deal, and sentence helps grease the gears of a bureaucratic engine that depends on constant churn. Just like in an MLM, success depends on someone else staying stuck below.
This is especially striking when you consider the fact that if every defendant exercised their constitutionally-protected right to a fair trial, the system would collapse.
Endless Recruitment: The System Needs Fresh Blood
MLMs only survive by roping in new members. The criminal justice system works the same way. It doesn’t scale back when crime drops; it finds new ways to ensnare people.
- School policing and juvenile court referrals.
- Probation violations turned into jail and prison time.
- Mental illness, addiction, and poverty reframed as “criminal behavior.”
When it’s built to ignore these root causes the system doesn’t rehabilitate. It recycles. The system needs “repeat customers” to come back because that’s how it sustains itself.
Blame the Victim
MLMs are infamous for blaming individuals who don’t “succeed.”
Didn’t make money? You didn’t hustle hard enough.
Incarcerated again? You made “bad choices” and you must be “evil.”
In both systems, failure isn’t seen as a flaw in the structure; it’s painted as a personal failing. This erases the ways the system is rigged from the start, keeping people stuck and disempowered.
Exit is an Illusion
Even if you “graduate” from the system by serving your sentence, completing probation or parole, paying your fines, the record follows you.
These are called collateral consequences; they exacerbate problems already beginning out of, in most cases, poverty or mental illness, and can impact generations of families for years to come.
It’s the MLM equivalent of realizing the company you worked for has tanked your reputation.
…and you’ve got nothing to show for your time but debt and disillusionment.
Bringing it All Together
We talk about MLMs as predatory and deceptive. So why don’t we call out the criminal justice system the same way?
Both systems rely on illusions of fairness, exploit the most vulnerable, and reward those who maintain the hierarchy. But real justice shouldn’t be about who wins or profits. It should be about who heals, who grows, and who gets free.
It’s time to stop treating justice like a business model and start treating people like people.
