So am I understanding this correctly? SPOILER

The narrative point in framing the kid was to get him his first strike, send him to prison and then to keep him on the straightened path because of the threat hanging over his head once he's finally released?

In all truth with such rave reviews insisting this is true to the real world, I just saw some idiot that didn't give a crap about himself also not give a crap about his nephew and frame him for armed robbery.
Now THAT is what is true to the real world when you run with people who want to be career criminals and I should know because I have.

Ultimately the message inside is it's the fault of your culture, the people you are surrounded by and yourself not the world. The assertion that the lawyers made about being criminals as kids themselves was too far fetched for me to buy into it. You're white and live like that you go to prison and I should know, I saw it happen to many.

I also saw small time but powerful drug minority ethnicity dealers pin murder raps on other people with the help of their crew and brazenly brag about it to everyone after the sore thumb of their crew went to prison.
The cliche white guy walks away and minority guys pay is a load of B.S. and hey, DANNY is living proof!