My personal observation of social class in the American Justice System.

As I continue this project on class in America, I have been seeing the world through the lens of class and I have become more aware of the distinctions between classes of people everywhere I go. This week I found myself in a courtroom and I noticed that it was a great place to observe the intersection social classes in America. My reason for being there was that a family tragedy occurred last year. My uncle (my mother's brother) was killed by a driver under the influence of drugs while taking an early morning bike ride. The driver was to accept a plea agreement for vehicular homicide and the family was there to give impact statements to the court. Since the accident, we have worked with the local District Attorney to understand the process and the facts of the case. The driver was represented by the public defender rather than a private defense attorney. We live in a small town. And while not everyone knows each other most people are at least peripherally familiar with who's who. It is not uncommon to know the judge, the District Attorney, or the public defender. I happen to have been acquainted with everyone involved (including with the driver who was going to accept the plea deal) and I think that gives me a unique perspective in this situation. When you walk into a courtroom immediately see the distinctions and social class. The lawyers at the front of the room or dressed in the very best business suits, the defendants are in handcuffs wearing jumpsuits, and the people in the gallery are generally dressed in everyday clothes, and the lady judge is wearing a simple black robe and a small pair of diamond stud earrings that surely cost more than most of the cars parked outside. Just as important, are the things that go unseen. The judge and lawyers live in comfortable ‘mcmansions’ surrounded by our local golf course, drive premium luxury vehicles, and have well-appointed offices from which they frequently abscond to popular sunny destinations. The bailiffs have steady incomes which affords them a much more modest lifestyle, yet they enjoy the privileges of being part of local law enforcement. The district attorney lives a comfortable life in the next town over where he owns a fair amount of real estate. I know from talking to him that his uncle, Dan Quale, was the former Vice President of The United States. He is a right-wing conservative who is not shy about sharing his beliefs. He once told me an interesting story about knowing the Bush family and visiting the White House and sitting behind the resolute desk as a young man and sleeping in a tuxedo on the floor of the Naval Observatory (the vice presidential residence) after a long day of inauguration festivities. I have little doubt that these early experiences influenced his ability to obtain a high paying, prestigious, and powerful job. The defendant in this case worked as a waiter and later as an assistant manager at the Cracker Barrel restaurant where we frequently visit. However, the first time I met him was when I processed a small (high interest) loan for him years ago when I worked at a local finance company. He is 50 years old and had no criminal history except for a DUI he received last year for alcohol intoxication. He was still on probation when this accident occurred and had an ignition interlock device installed on his car. However, the intoxicant this time was prescription Xanax which is why he was able to start the car that fateful morning. He was always a nervous sort of person which I believe contributed to his heart attack that he suffered a few years back. It was no surprise to me that he had a prescription for the strong anti-anxiety medication. He moved from Rhode Island to Tennessee some years ago and was living with his infirm mother and taking care of her. She was to frail to come to court to support her son although they speak almost everyday from jail by phone. Among the information we found about the accident was the records of where he purchased his light green 2004 Buick Le Sabre he purchased from Car-Mart. This is a high interest “buy here, pay here” car lot that caters to buyers with credit problems. They purchased the car from an auction where an individual had defaulted on a title pawn agreement owned by Tennessee Title Loans, Inc. More on that aspect later. This happens to be my experience, but similar proceedings go on every day in courtrooms all across America and they all seem to have the same social class dynamics at play. Social stratification within the prison system is another compelling example of how inequality manifests itself in social class in America. In this case the driver agreed to a plea deal that requires him to serve between 8:00 and 12 years for the crime by law and his sentence will be 10 years at 30% minus time served. This means he will be eligible for parole in approximately 2 more years. The question then becomes how will the social class implications affect his ability to be granted parole? Additional questions I would like to explore are: Where will the District Attorney be then, where will the judge be, where will I be, and as a country, will we be making progress toward or away from equality with regard to social class? Furthermore, does one's social class set them on a trajectory from which they cannot easily escape? What steps should one take to move into the social class that they desire?

Social Class How Does It Work?

Social Stratification in the United States

John Green speaks on the American dream and social stratification.