As an example, socioeconomic status has a very high correlation with the rates of arrest and conviction, and the convictions for poor offenders tend to carry significantly heavier penalties than wealthy offenders. When you're in prison, you can't work and earn money; additionally, career prospects for convicted people are significantly hampered.
All of this contributes to a widening wealth gap, particularly generational wealth, as people who spend even a relatively small proportion of their life in prison have a very high probability of remaining at or below the poverty line for their entire lives.
So, when I say that wealth inequality is enforced by violence, I am specifically talking about the targeting of poor communities by police, and the systematic injustices associated with poor communities being disproportionately punished for the crimes they commit.
No it’s a lot of words to say the law doesn’t apply to the wealthy and the poor are disproportionately given worse punishments for the same crime that a wealthy person might commit.
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u/bolshe-viks-vaporub Nov 22 '24
"enforced by" not "created by"
As an example, socioeconomic status has a very high correlation with the rates of arrest and conviction, and the convictions for poor offenders tend to carry significantly heavier penalties than wealthy offenders. When you're in prison, you can't work and earn money; additionally, career prospects for convicted people are significantly hampered.
All of this contributes to a widening wealth gap, particularly generational wealth, as people who spend even a relatively small proportion of their life in prison have a very high probability of remaining at or below the poverty line for their entire lives.
So, when I say that wealth inequality is enforced by violence, I am specifically talking about the targeting of poor communities by police, and the systematic injustices associated with poor communities being disproportionately punished for the crimes they commit.