Being a Spoiled Rich Kid is a Mental Illness

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**LordofHats**

CNN

To families of the victims, Ethan Couch was a killer on the road, a drunken teenage driver who caused a crash that left four people dead.

To the defense, the youth is himself a victim -- of "affuenza," according to one psychologist -- the product of wealthy, privileged parents who never set limits for the boy.

To a judge, who sentenced Couch to 10 years' probation but no jail time, he's a defendant in need of treatment.
Boyles: Wife, daughter were givers
Dr. Drew: 'Affluenza' is ridiculous
DUI crash kills 4, teen gets probation

The decision disappointed prosecutors and stunned victims' family members, who say they feel that Couch got off too easy. Prosecutors had asked for the maximum of 20 years behind bars.

"Let's face it ... There needs to be some justice here," Eric Boyles, who lost his wife and daughter, told CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 on Wednesday night.

"For 25 weeks, I've been going through a healing process. And so when the verdict came out, I mean, my immediate reaction is -- I'm back to Week 1. We have accomplished nothing here. My healing process is out the window," he said.

Lawyers for Couch, 16, had argued that the teen's parents should share a part of the blame for the crash because they never set limits for the boy and gave him everything he wanted.

According to CNN affiliate WFAA, a psychologist called by the defense described Couch as a product of "affluenza."

He reportedly testified that the teen's family felt wealth bought privilege, and that Couch's life could be turned around with one to two years of treatment and no contact with his parents.

Couch was sentenced by a juvenile court judge on Tuesday. If he violates the terms of his probation, he could face up to 10 years of incarceration, according to a statement from the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney's Office.

Judge Jean Boyd told the court she would not release Couch to his parents, but would work to find the teen a long-term treatment facility.

"There are absolutely no consequences for what occurred that day," said Boyles. "The primary message has to absolutely be that money and privilege can't buy justice in this country."

His wife, Hollie Boyles, and daughter, Shelby, left their home to help Breanna Mitchell, whose SUV had broken down. Brian Jennings, a youth pastor, was driving past and also stopped to help.

All four were killed when the teen's pickup plowed into the pedestrians. Couch's vehicle also struck a parked car, which then slid into another vehicle driving in the opposite direction.

Two people riding in the bed of the teen's pickup were tossed in the crash and severely injured.

One is no longer able to move or talk because of a brain injury, while the other suffered internal injuries and broken bones.

"There is nothing the judge could have done to lessen the suffering for any of those families," said defense attorney Scott Brown, CNN affiliate KTVT reported.

"(The judge) fashioned a sentence that is going to keep Ethan under the thumb of the justice system for the next 10 years," he said. "And if Ethan doesn't do what he's supposed to do, if he has one misstep at all, then this judge, or an adult judge when he's transferred, can then incarcerate him."

Earlier on the night of the accident, June 15, Couch and some friends had stolen beer from a local Wal-Mart. Three hours after the crash, tests showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.24, three times the legal limit, according to the district attorney's office.

"We are disappointed by the punishment assessed but have no power under the law to change or overturn it," said Assistant District Attorney Richard Alpert. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and we regret that this outcome has added to the pain and suffering they have endured."

Mostly I care most about the bold part. Just wow. Any Texas folk who know more about this incident?

**djones520**

What is the name for children with poor parents who don't put boundaries on their children?

**timetowaste85**

Sterilize the kid, put him in jail for 10 years, send the rich parents to the electric chair. I'm in a good mood tonight.

**azazel the cat**

Yeah, so that's not a thing that is recognized by the APA or the AMA. Wealthy people can always find a crackpot with a novel theory if the price is right. It will not work.

**LordofHats**

Read the article. Kid got off. Stole beer. Got drunk. Killed four people and injured two others. Pretty much put all the blame on the parents and got a slap on the wrist.

**cincydooley**

azazel the cat wrote:
Yeah, so that's not a thing that is recognized by the APA or the AMA. Wealthy people can always find a crackpot with a novel theory if the price is right. It will not work.

The AMA is considering obesity a disease these days, so I don't know how much stock we should put in them anyway

**Kanluwen**

LordofHats wrote:
Read the article. Kid got off. Stole beer. Got drunk. Killed four people and injured two others. Pretty much put all the blame on the parents and got a slap on the wrist.

That does not actually mean that the reason for the punishment was because of the defense though.

**Cheesecat**

I wouldn't call being rich a mental illness but I do think it has the possibility of making people delusional.

**hotsauceman1**

Affluenza......Affluenza......fething AFFLUENZA!!!!!!!!!
I give up, I absolutely give up? Who wants to go start an Island nation where stupid puns like these are outlawed.
OT: I really wish that in order for a theory to be used in court it had to go through a peer journal

**LordofHats**

Kanluwen wrote:
LordofHats wrote:
Read the article. Kid got off. Stole beer. Got drunk. Killed four people and injured two others. Pretty much put all the blame on the parents and got a slap on the wrist.

That does not actually mean that the reason for the punishment was because of the defense though.

Maybe

It's just crazy though. Apparently he's going into foster care, so either the defense did a really good job blaming the parents or there's trouble at home.

**timetowaste85**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
Affluenza......Affluenza......fething AFFLUENZA!!!!!!!!!
I give up, I absolutely give up? Who wants to go start an Island nation where stupid puns like these are outlawed.
OT: I really wish that in order for a theory to be used in court it had to go through a peer journal

I think it's time to start jumping on my bandwagon to sterilize stupid people, wouldn't you agree finally?

**hotsauceman1**

No. We need stupid people to breed, how else will we get our fast ffood workers

**cincydooley**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
No. We need stupid people to breed, how else will we get our fast ffood workers

Philosophy and French Literature majors. Duh.

<----- minored in philosophy.

**hotsauceman1**

Philosophy is great and fun, just dont expect a job unless you go all the way to PHD

**djones520**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
Philosophy is great and fun, just dont expect a job unless you go all the way to PHD

And then your only job will be to teach those who are throwing their educations away.

**easysauce**

any way you cut it, this kids getting off light for what should really be four counts of murder,

if he had gone out and shot or stabbed four people, Im pretty sure he wouldnt be getting off so easy...

why is it so forgivable to kill people with your car compared to other stupid ways we get others killed?

it always reminds me of the scenes in farenheit 451 where people just routinely get turned into red pasts by the super fast cars and no one blinks an eye.

**cincydooley**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
Philosophy is great and fun, just dont expect a job unless you go all the way to PHD

I actually did it because we had to take a religion or philosophy class at my school, so I took logic and critical reasoning. One of the best classes I've ever taken. Then I read somewhere that people with philosophy backgrounds tended to do better on the LSAT, so I stuck with it.

In glad I have my other degrees, but I don't regret the philosophy minor at al.

**hotsauceman1**

My philosophy class this semester was fun, Logic and critical thinking was fun and learning how to find fallacies is real fun.

**LordofHats**

easysauce wrote:
any way you cut it, this kids getting off light for what should really be four counts of murder,

if he had gone out and shot or stabbed four people, Im pretty sure he wouldnt be getting off so easy...

why is it so forgivable to kill people with your car compared to other stupid ways we get others killed?

it always reminds me of the scenes in farenheit 451 where people just routinely get turned into red pasts by the super fast cars and no one blinks an eye.

I actually could forgive drunk driving as an accident, but stealing beer and then drunk driving and maiming/killing 6 people all in one night is... Yeah not easy to look past that for me.

**sebster**

People often conclude that crazy let offs like this are the result of very clever lawyers, but given this guy turned up with basically a 'bad parents' story and catch-phrase, affluenza, I've got to say there's a lot less there than a lot of poor kids with horrific childhoods who still get heavy jail sentences.

I'm starting to think these kinds of let-offs are more the result of that weird glitch in the human brain that makes us relate and empathise with richer more powerful people, while we ignore those below us. So judge or jury see this story of bad parenting and feel it and let the kid off, but some poor kid comes in to court and a similar or even worse story isn't seen the same way.

Seriously, the human brain is fething screwy. And now some kid who acted like a reckless ass and killed four people is walking away because of it.

**purplefood**

I'd be more inclined to make an example of him because of this argument.
This sentence is far too light.

**BobtheInquisitor**

djones520 wrote:
What is the name for children with poor parents who don't put boundaries on their children?

Guilty.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I can't even imagine what I would be feeling if I lost my wife and child like that. And then to see the little plop get off with only probation? I'd probably get violent--and I'd have a hell of a defense...

**LordofHats**

We can always hope he pulls a Zimmerman and gets himself arrested again.

P.S. Zimmerman'd

**-Shrike-**

That's just fethed up. He killed 4 people, maimed 2, damaged several cars, and was driving whilst being illegally drunk, and walks away with probation because of "bad parenting"? If the parents were actually that awful, they'd have been sent to the electric chair.

**Dreadclaw69**

That judge has just set a horrible, horrible precedent for crack pot defenses. I really hope that the DA appeals this case.

**Soladrin**

Wow, so, did he bribe the judge or something? I don't even...

**Frazzled**

Strangely I have a cure. Drop his ass of in Compton at night. Film it with cameras. We can call it Running Jerk.

The decision shows there are indeed two justice systems in this country, one for the rich and one for the poor.
But then again, show me a country where that isn't the case.

**Gutsnagga**

This makes me think of the movie chronicle for some reason.

I bet his parents could afford better lawyers than those of the victims.

**Overread**

Well considering the upper classes did used to inbreed a lot with each other (keeping money and land and influence within the right circles

) there could be a case for very old rich families that yeah its kinda inbreeding bad genes

Also this is interesting;

Judge Jean Boyd told the court she would not release Couch to his parents, but would work to find the teen a long-term treatment facility.

I think that there is a shift in the justice system toward corrective justice instead of purely punishment based justice. If you send the kid away to gaol then that is all he will get; with little chance for any corrective support. As a result you take a self entitled (and when released likely still rich) individual and all you do is embitter and likely alienate them from the greater part of society. So whilst you've given a nice big punishment little has been done to ensure correct behaviour upon release (indeed as part of the regular justice system he might even be influenced to perform similar or greater acts of criminal harm).

Removal from his parents influence is a fairly major thing and if he is sent to a corrective facility one might end up with an individual who can be corrected to be more contributing to society instead of leaching or harming society.

There is also the factor that if he voids probation he's looking at likely gaol time and it could be that the judge is half banking on the fact that with an individual who has never had limits much before the sudden imposition of them might easily cause a backlash - net result is he ends up in goal fully of his own accord and can't plea the "I'm a kid give me a chance" angle because he's already had it.

These are always complicated issues and there are always two sides of every coin. Whilst an individual is responsible for their actions understanding and appreciation of the factors that result in them leading up to that decision and also the influences that might affect what choice they make that that point is critical. It's only with that understanding that one can aim to treat the CAUSE and not just the effect (because if you deal with the latter you've not actually dealt with the problem behind it - as a result you leave the option open for a repeat offence).

At the end of the day what do you want? A long goal sentence that leaves you with an individual who is likely to repeat the same pattern of behaviour once released; or an alternative approach that results in a person who is significantly less likely to repeat the same process again.

**Ensis Ferrae**

easysauce wrote:
any way you cut it, this kids getting off light for what should really be four counts of murder,

if he had gone out and shot or stabbed four people, Im pretty sure he wouldnt be getting off so easy...

why is it so forgivable to kill people with your car compared to other stupid ways we get others killed?

it always reminds me of the scenes in farenheit 451 where people just routinely get turned into red pasts by the super fast cars and no one blinks an eye.

Clearly, if he had had a "high capacity assault truck" he wouldn't have gotten off so lightly. It's obvious we have a vehicle problem in this country and we need the Gov't to limit the types of vehicles that people can own

Yeah, this story just pisses me off... Although, part of me hopes that parts of this "affluenza" is contagious, because I could sure use some right now

I wouldn't be so pissed if he were in some form of prison while at the same time getting "treatment" for whatever BS people want to say he has.