Affluenza… learned something new today.

In 2018, 20-year-old Ethan Couch was released from jail after serving two years for causing a traffic accident that killed four people and injured nine others.1 Couch, who had been driving drunk and was under the influence of drugs at the time of the 2013 accident, had initially been placed on 10 years of probation when he was 16 years old following a trial in adult criminal court. At trial, a defense psychologist testified that Couch should not be held responsible for the accident by virtue of what he termed “affluenza.” Affluenza, said the psychologist, was a condition that afflicted Couch and had been brought about by an upbringing during which he was so spoiled by his wealthy parents that he was unable to distinguish right from wrong. Social media outrage ensured, with many postings calling for the judge’s removal, and prison time for Couch. Unfortunately for Couch, a 2015 video surfaced showing him consuming alcohol, which was a violation of the terms of his probation. Couch and his mother soon fled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where they were eventually taken into custody and extradited to the United States. Following a resentencing hearing, Couch was ordered to spend 720 days in jail.