Socioeconomic Class And The Outcomes Of Criminal Cases

The real fun in hate watching content about wealthy people lies not in seeing all the things they have that you will never be able to afford, but rather in seeing the things that money cannot buy.  Money cannot buy true friendship, and it cannot buy self-acceptance; you have as good a chance of achieving those things as people whose net worth vastly exceeds yours do.  Money should not buy justice, but the data tell another story.  The Bill of Rights and the court decisions that have interpreted it give all people accused of crimes the right to due process of law, and the court will appoint a professional lawyer to represent defendants who cannot afford to hire their own attorneys.  Despite this, it should surprise no one that the courts consistently show more leniency toward wealthy defendants.  Therefore, even if it means asking for financial assistance from everyone you know could conceivably be able to contribute, it is in your interest to hire a West Palm Beach criminal defense lawyer to represent you in your criminal case.

Is That a Silver Spoon in Your Mouth, or Is It Reasonable Doubt About Your Guilt?

A report published in the most recent issue of the Harvard Gazette highlights wealth disparities in sentencing for defendants convicted in criminal court.  The study only considered felony offenses that involved illicit drugs but did not involve weapons or violence, and it only included cases where the defendants pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial; in cases that get to the stage where the defendant enters a plea, at least 94 percent of defendants plead guilty.  The study found that defendants who did not have college degrees were more than twice as likely to get prison time than defendants who had graduated from college, when the defendants were convicted on the same charges.  The researchers used college education as a measure of socioeconomic status, because most people who graduate from college either have enough financial support from their families that they can manage without full-time employment for four years of their adult lives, or else they have stable employment that accommodates their dual roles as students and employees.

The Harvard Gazette report also noted that racial disparities in sentencing have lessened over the years.  Still considering cases where defendants were convicted of equivalent nonviolent drug felonies, the study found that Black defendants were 1.5 times as likely as White defendants to get prison time.  The report did not include data on any other racial groups.  The racial disparities in sentencing reached a peak in the early 1990s, at the height of the War on Drugs.  In 1992, Black defendants were 14 times as likely as White defendants to get prison sentences for drug convictions.

Contact a West Palm Beach Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Attorney William Wallshein has more than 41 years of experience, including five years as a prosecutor in Palm Beach County.  Contact William Wallshein P.A. in West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss your case.

Source:

news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/02/class-surges-as-factor-in-who-gets-sent-to-prison/