Justice, American Style?

Don't you just love it? The news is all abuzz today with the story that Jamie-Lynn Spears, the 16 year old sister of singer Britney Spears, is pregnant. The father is her 19 year old boyfriend. The first thing that came to my mind were those 2 words: Statutory Rape. But don't hold your breath waiting for anyone to be charged here.

Make no mistake, I'm not sitting here wishing and hoping that 19 year old Casey Aldridge faces criminal charges for his actions here. But what comes to mind is just how unevenly statutory rape cases are prosecuted here in America. Genarlow Wilson served 2 years in prison as part of a 10-year sentence for consensual sexual activity with a 15 year old girl. Wilson was 17 at the time. Already, legal experts are saying they don't expect Casey Aldridge to face any charges, and of course they're probably right. Does anyone really expect the boyfriend of a celebrity teenager to ever face criminal charges in a case like this? Realistically, no.

The fact is, these cases are left up to prosecutors' discretion. And race and class are definitely factors in the decision-making process. As much as some folks like to deny it, the fact is , a poor black kid, for example, is much more likely to ever face charges for statutory rape than a rich white kid. That's justice, American style. That's the uncomfortable truth, and this high profile case is just another reminder of that.