BarbaraHudson's Journal: America's two-tiered justice as seen from north of the border

From the CBC - Americans are taught that everyone is equal before the law. Is that still the case?

The answer is a resounding No.

Americans all stand equal before the law, children are taught in this country, regardless of wealth or race or social status. Because this is a classless society.

Of course, children here are also told that a nocturnal fairy will exchange old teeth for cash.

The bitter truth, more obvious by the year, is that law enforcement in the U.S. is actually the enforcement of the class system itself.

If you are poor, you understand that. If you are wealthy, you probably understand it, too, but in another way altogether.

For a member of the American underclass, a minor brush with authorities can turn into the kind of Kafkaesque despair that most Americans associate with places like Egypt or Russia or Iran.

Violent class warfare backed by the state in what is supposed to be a classless society. And it's probably going to get worse as the middle class, after 40 years of not reaping the benefits of their increased productivity, become more disenfranchised and less invested in the future.

Had you seen this one?

[damn_registrars]

I believe this case got attention earlier as well, but here's a February 2014 write-up from CNN on the "affluenza" case where a spoiled rich kid from Texas got sent to rehab for killing 4 people [cnn.com] .

Re:

[BarbaraHudson]

The rules for juvenile court judges are different. But yes, affluenza played a role. If he had been a poor kid from a poor family, he wouldn't have had the same defense team, and at the least would have spent time in the juvie system.

Re:

[damn_registrars]

The rules for juvenile court judges are different.

Very true. However due to the magnitude of what happened as a result of his actions, he could have been charged a an adult.

If he had been a poor kid from a poor family, he wouldn't have had the same defense team, and at the least would have spent time in the juvie system.

It is quite possible that had he not been able to hire a defense team the state could have opted to try to make an example of him and charge him as an adult, to discourage kids from drinking and driving.

Re:

[BarbaraHudson]

In severe cases with minors over 14-15, there's routinely going to be a demand that the child be tried as an adult. And sometimes it's granted. But in this case, going after the real culprits - the parents - the ones who raised a 16-year-old so that it was not only possible but routine for him go go steal a case of beer and drive around drunk at all hours, would be a hard case to make.

Bad parenting abounds among all classes. At some point, we decide that people are no longer children but adults, and t

Re:

[damn_registrars]

I think you may be expressing too much optimism towards the US penal system. You use the word "rehabilitation", but we don't believe in that in this country any more. If our system was intelligent enough to recognize rehabilitation there would have been no question on the Cornealious Anderson case [wikipedia.org] where the state of Missouri attempted to re-jail a man who they had forgotten about for over a decade.

Re:

[BarbaraHudson]

The juvenile system is mandated to take a more enlightened view, since the needs of the child have to be considered. This runs contrary to our emotional need for a pound of flesh, which is a bit of a contradiction to our general belief that two wrongs don't make a right.

The adult system is basically a place where crooks swap stories, get to spend some time away from any family responsibilities, make new connections ...

moof

[Bill Dog]

I get my view of how the lower class is treated by the cops, from watching the TV show "Cops". Like I am right now. If you're lower class, don't show it, and certainly don't act it, to the cops. Drive a well-maintained car, and be very respectful.

I'm shocked at how things go down on that show. If I was treated like that in a traffic stop, I'd be livid. But somehow cops can sniff out who the troublemakers are. These people have illegal drugs and unregistered weapons in their car, and prior records.

Gene

Re:

[fustakrakich]

I get my view of how the lower class is treated by the cops, from watching the TV show "Cops".

Shirley you can't be serious...

Re:

[smittyoneeach]

Howie gonna question what we see on TV, or read on the Internet? Isn't it all true?

Re:

[Zontar The Mindless]

...lower class is the person, not whatever their current economic conditions are.

Funny how you and I can think the same thing, yet come to diametrically opposite conclusions based upon it.

People who have bills to pay and have to go to work in the morning don't have time to be out causing trouble.

Check out the real world sometime. You'd be surprised.

Re:

[mcgrew]

I get my view of how the lower class is treated by the cops, from watching the TV show "Cops".

Understandable, then why you hold your views of the poor.

Generally the poor are poor because they make bad choices.

Some people, true, but not generally. If you're raised by poor parents, you're up against a very big wall. It's hard for them to buy school supplies, and if you're raised by a single parent it's harder for them to help you because they're probably working two jobs. Having a single parent is the result