Criminal Punishment Based on Socioeconomic Class Essay

Crime is a common occurrence in America. With a prison population more than 7 times larger compared to its neighboring countries Canada and Mexico combined, it might be easy to believe America is hard on crime, which is true and false. (International Centre of Prison Studies, n.d.) Drug offenses list as the number one crime in inmates, reaching about 50% of the prison population. (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2014) Marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, and methamphetamine are all illegal drugs many people use recreationally, and also get caught for. Some of them are worse than others and can possibly make a criminal’s sentence longer depending on what he or she is caught with. This time in American history is commonly called â€Å"The War on†¦show more content†¦Some of the criminal acts that she committed that would normally be a felony are knocked down to a misdemeanor. Does she have a lucky streak with the criminal justice system? Or maybe is it because she’s a famous celebrity with a high socioeconomic standing? Socioeconomic standing decides a lot in people’s lives. A son of a rich, old-blooded family, is likely to have more opportunities in life to succeed and become rich with a high socioeconomic standing. However a daughter w ith multiple siblings, and a poor background, will have a much more difficult time climbing higher on the ladder of socioeconomic class. The daughter may have to resort to criminal acts to keep herself and her family provided with the needs of life, such as food or shelter. Meanwhile the son of the old blooded family may also committed criminal acts, but not because he needs to, but because of affluenza, a state of mind typically found in the higher class children of richer families that is said to give them a sense of entitlement and make them irresponsible. Ethan Couch, a 16-year old white male, convicted of vehicular manslaughter while drunk driving, and was sentenced to 10 years of probation being let off with affluenza. When a similar incident by another person with a lower class withoutShow MoreRelatedA Perfect World, Economic Inequality1337 Words   |  6 Pagescould not be tampered with or deviated from based on a person’s zip code. If within this perfect world crim e did exist, the ramifications of criminal acts would be blind to race, wealth, or family name. Unfortunately, the illustration of a perfect world is far from it, it’s nonexistent. The world we live in today is full of disparities. There are special rules and special laws for certain people especially when it comes to crime and punishment. Everyone is not created equal. Society looksRead MoreA Comparison of Conflict and Labeling Theory in the Context of Youth Gangs1531 Words   |  7 Pageslabeling theory in comparison. 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