Know Your Class War*: 1 in 3 Will be Arrested by Age 23

That seems like a statistic that can't be true, but a study has found that 1 in 3 young people will be arrested by age 23.  That's a lot of people walking around with records--but how is that related to the class war?

Well, for one thing, studies have found that the rates of incarceration increase for low-income groups and minorities. Naturally, access to legal representation is guaranteed by law, however, the quality of that representation may not be as good for low-income people, who often will be compelled to plea to some charge--resulting in a record and possible jail-time.  For another, being incarcerated has a long-term negative impact in one's earning potential, even after being released.   So basically, you are more likely to see prison if you are low-income, and if you've seen prison, you're more likely to stay at lower income. Finally, the US has spotty rules regarding the voting rights of ex-felons. So, depending upon one's criminal record, one might not have the ability to vote.

The incarceration rate in the US is the highest in the world.  This leads to a significant number of disenfranchised and economically depressed people

So yes, being processed by the system is part of the class war.

*"Know Your Class War" is an on-going series I've started about factors in US society that relate to income inequality and how systems are biased against lower income people.