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In reply to the discussion: Baby died after mom left in SUV while at work [View all]liberalhistorian
(20,904 posts)they're charged frankly depends on their race and socioeconomic status. Whenever this happened in the area I lived in in my former state of Ohio, you could predict the charges like clockwork based on their race and where they lived. If it was a black or other non-white parent living in a poorer neighborhood, charges would almost always be filed, with the maximum sentence requested and continual demonization of the parent in the media and public. If it was a white suburban or upper-class parent, no charges and sympathetic clucking from the media and public about how horrible it was for the parent and it was just a tragic accident. Like clockwork.
I know that's not the case everywhere, but it is in a lot of areas. In my current state, with a large native american population, the same can be said for white versus Indian parents. An Indian parent merely looks at their child in a seemingly wrong way, and down comes the hammer of the law and social services.