A Federal Social Class System! Defeating Democracy, Emanating Social Harm, and the Poor Example of Justice in the United States

          The sentence that Paul Manafort received sent chills to many people in the world and delivered an international image of how the United States’ criminal justice system is based on social class.  Confounding variables that should have been entered into the decision-making processes by the judge did not seem to come about (Conciatori, 2019; LaFraniere & Blinder, 2019).  In other words, the fact that Paul Manafort did not properly cooperate with the federal prosecutors and was detained because of unlawful contacts with witnesses sent a statement into society that said that people who have attained a specific social status – which is congruent with wealth in the United States – are given a less structured and less severe administration of justice (Conciatori, 2019; LaFraniere & Blinder, 2019; Reiman & Leighton, 2017).  Furthermore, and given the nature of the case, the federal court in Virginia broadcasted the idea that upholding fundamental understandings of democracy was not important or even considered by the judge who sentenced Manafort (Conciatori, 2019; LaFraniere & Blinder, 2019; Reiman & Leighton, 2017).  For last the two years the federal court system has balked at delivering actual justice for the antics affiliated with the Trump administration and, in turn, has been telling citizens all throughout the world that the American government is a sham.  The array of arrests, convictions, and short sentences of the individuals who are associated with the current administration in the White House have done little to ensure faith in the minds of Americans, and others who look to the United States for examples of democracy, when it comes to proper governance and fair legal systems.  It is a fact that the United States’ criminal justice system is based on ideations of social class and is actually a very weakly configured democratic nation.  The numbers associated with the federal criminal justice system validate this notion (Conciatori, 2019; LaFraniere & Blinder, 2019; Reiman & Leighton, 2017). 

            That is, there is a long history of poor defendants receiving harsher punishments for criminal activities that are relatively minor or not causing significant damage to the public or law enforcement community in the federal court system (Reiman & Leighton, 2017; Rhodes, Kling, Luallen, & Dyous, 2015).  In contrast, the federal courts have routinely dispensed short sentences, easily payable fines, and other minor punishments to savings and loans offenders who have participated in crimes that have cost the taxpayers millions of dollars because of their illegal behaviors as well as in the costs in federal prosecutions toward white-collar offenders of this nature.  For example, Jeffrey Reiman and Paul Leighton (2017) have an entire chapter on this subject in their book and, basically, conclude that the criminal justice system is not only stacked against the poor, but actually rewards wealthy defendants in many legal situations.  More specifically, the two authors state that many of the fines that are imposed on savings and loans offenders do not match or go above the amount of money that was taken or spent on investigation and prosecution (Reiman & Leighton, 2017, pp. 135-136).  Prison time, as above-mentioned, for these offenders – as we all saw in the recent Manafort sentence – are usually short terms under five years (Leighton & Reiman, 2017, pp. 135-136).  The concept of deterrence that is being depicted by the federal court system now, and in the past, is one that suggests that justice can be bought and that people can be above the law if they can afford it.  District Court Judge T.S. Ellis confirmed this atrocity with his sentence on Manafort, which, in turn, furthered the demise of the American government (Conciatori, 2019; LaFraniere & Blinder, 2019; Reiman & Leighton, 2017).  It is undoubted that the rich get richer and the poor get prison – more prison time, that is (Reiman & Leighton, 2017).  Can it be considered a crime to cater to wealthy criminal defendants and to deconstruct the judiciary in the United States? 

            Given the repetitive spectacle of social class-based justice in the United States, the wondering of how this came to be and how long it will last have to enter the minds of Americans and others in the world.  Apparently, American exceptionalism has included false claims of equality and justice for many decades now and returning to basic applications of justice are not a priority to many public servants who run the United States’ government (Reiman & Leighton, 2017; Woodiwiss, 2001).  The system of checks and balances that is considered to be impervious to capitalism, deception, greed, and corruption is not as perfect as many have claimed it to be, and these problems are being promulgated by the individuals who have titles associated with public service (Reiman & Leighton, 2017; Woodiwiss, 2001).  Case in point, the social class-based criminal justice system has been maintained by the people who run the legal processes (Reiman & Leighton, 2017; Woodiwiss, 2001).  No wonder it has lasted this way for so long and why people like Paul Manafort can get off lightly and make a mockery of the Constitution and legal system in this land of the free and home of the brave.  The joke is on everyone who is not wealthy and has been believing in the structure of American democracy.  What an exceptional country!     

References

Conciatori, T.  (2019, March 7).  Mueller’s case against Paul Manafort, explained.  PBS. 

            Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/muellers-case-against-paul-

manafort-explained.

LaFraniere, S., & Blinder, A.  (2019, March 8).   Manafort’s 47 months:  A sentence that drew

gasps from around the country.  The New York Times.  Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/us/politics/manafort-sentencing-ellis.html. 

Reiman, J., & Leighton, P.  (2017).  The rich get richer and the poor get prison:  Ideology, class,

            and criminal justice (11^th ed.).  New York, NY:  Routledge. 

Rhodes, W., Kling, R., Luallen, J., & Dyous, C.  (2015).  Federal Sentencing Disparity: 2005–

2012.  Bureau of Justice Statistics.  Retrieved from

https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/fsd0512.pdf.     

Woodiwiss, M.  (2001).  Organized crime and American power.  Toronto, CA:  University of

            Toronto Press.               

                        

Photo Credit:  Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images file