As one verse from the popular song says “Money makes the world go round”, it is really possible to afford different benefits if you possess a lot of money. This means that not only can you buy material things and make your life fun and adventurous, but money can also help you when you commit a serious crime. There is a possibility to get away with it and not be punished severely. Rich people are in a better position here, because they can afford better lawyers who will defend them and make sure they will not get some heavy punishment like going to jail, but instead of it, they get alternative punishments such as probation, community service, or paying some fine. Money can help rich people reduce their punishment, but it can’t save them totally. Neither the rich can escape the punishment for murder or any other grave violation. Criminals are always punished for serious crimes, but the problem is that these punishments are sometimes unsatisfactory for the victims’ families.
Rich people have money and they think they can do anything with it, so they usually don’t have the sense of guilt. They don’t make a difference between good and bad and they believe money can untangle every problem they encounter. They don’t understand the gravity of irresponsible and deviant behaviour.
Unfortunately, the legal system is foul sometimes, and people who get the chance to make decisions about someone’s guilt can be corrupt. There is the example of a teenager Ethan Couch from Texas who killed 4 people as a result of a drunk driving in 2013. His mother hired a psychologist who suggested therapy instead of going to jail, and she explained that being rich disabled him to make a distinction between good and bad. He got only probation. Families of the victims were furious because this was injustice and Couch got this lenient punishment only because of his fortune.
Another example involved Orachorn Thephasadin Na Ayudhya who was 17 when she was charged with drunk driving without a license and causing death. Orachorn killed nine passengers in the van she bumped into. She got the sentence of three years, then reduced to two, then finally to the probation of three years. Her family was rich, so they paid to reduce her punishment.
In order to prevent these things from happening and to stop corruption and getting away with crimes, a strict control of the judges and the court should be carried out.
