At the moment, what is on my mind is the sentencing of Ethan Couch.

Ethan Couch, 16, killed four people and injured two others last year while under the influence of alcohol, according to cnn.com.

For many readers, you may assume that most of this boy’s life, if not all of it, will be spent behind bars.

Well, think again.

Instead of jail time, Couch was sentenced to 10 years of probation and has recently been ordered by a judge to seek rehabilitation in a lock-down facility, according to cnn.com.

That is right, no jail time. Some readers may be wondering how in the world Couch beat this case. Even more so, what might have influenced his sentencing?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Many accusations as to why Couch received the punishment he did have surfaced over the recent months, most notably, the term “affluenza.”

Affluenza has been coined by a psychologist as a term to describe children whose parents are wealthy and privileged, and have never set limits for their children, according to cnn.com.
Basically, the children have the ability to run wild.

Other accusations about the parents’ extreme wealth and ability to hire expensive defense lawyers have also surfaced.

However, State District Judge Jean Boyd says neither of these alleged factors played any role in her decision, according to cnn.com

Yet, Eric Boyles, whose wife and daughter were killed in the accident, feels differently.
He believes that money played a major factor in this decision, according to cnn.com
I hate to say it, but I agree with Boyles.

Sure, I feel remorse for Ethan Couch. The boy is only a teenager after all.

Additionally, the sentencing he received — 10 years of probation, the loss of driving privileges and the inability to drink or use drugs — is a hefty punishment to bear at such a young age.

However, had this been someone of lower class, or other race, what would have been the outcome?
That is something that I feel all of us cannot help but ponder.