'Affluenza' Teen Seeks Asylum in Mexico

You might remember Ethan Couch from 2013, when he mounted 'affluenza' as a defense in a drunk driving accident that killed four people. The defense was controversial, but seems to have been effective since Couch only received probation rather than jail time. He recently fled to Mexico with his mother after public information came out that suggested he had violated his terms of probation.

Couch is pleading for asylum in Mexico now to avoid deportation. I don't think that this defense will be successful and, even if it is, Couch is headed for trouble and will wind up in prison in Mexico if not the U.S. But I think that this case underscores a larger point in our society, that if you are rich and of privilege there's one standard, and there is a different standard if you are poor. If Couch hadn't come from such a privileged background, he would not have gotten off so lightly. If he had been a poor, African-American kid there would be no question, Couch would have been thrown in jail. This is a consistent theme that we see in our justice system: the rich and privileged are able to get off 'easy,' the poor are sent to jail.