To be honest, though, being mid-to-upper middle class or higher is often enough in and of itself to avoid any real punishment for your crimes.

I grew up straddling the poverty line, and that was the general socio-economic strata of the bulk of my relatives and family friends. When someone got in trouble, you call or ask around "What do I need to do?" and somebody's aunt would talk you through the process of where to go and how to pay bail or whatever.

As an adult, I have a broader socio-economic friends group, and so I see how things operate when solidly middle class or higher folks get in trouble. When they make the calls and ask around, they are asking their connected friends for favors. They went to school with the sheriff. The mayor is their brother-in-law. They know people who can pull strings and if that fails, they know people they can pay to avoid / minimize punishment.

But once you get into the realm of the "rich and famous", that's where you really start to see that it's a two-tiered justice system. Haves and have nots, with entirely different procedures and outcomes.