Special Treatment?

[MJS]

There have been many threads started here about prisons, how inmates are treated, whether or not certain offenders should be locked up or given community service, etc. I have noticed alot of talk about Paris Hilton, both in the paper and on TV, so I figured I'd start this thread. My question is: Do you feel she is being given special treatment?

I had to laugh this morning, when I read a letter to the editor. The person stated that the public thrives on seeing Paris in the condition shes in, and how her being dragged off to jail is disgusting to him. He goes on to say that with the overcrowding in jails, she should've been given community service.

Interesting enough, I have to ask, if I or anyone else had our license suspended, and knowing that, still drove, if we'd be given probation, comm. service, etc.? If we were sent to jail for 45 days, would we get out in 3, sent home under house arrest, or would be expect to serve the 45? IMHO, and I've said it before, don't do the crime if you can't do the time. If I were to kill someone, drive drunk, rob a store or bank, or mug someone, I'd expect I'd be punished in some way. Seems that the general public tends to think different about our star Paris. Following are a few articles I came across.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19198279/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19150915/

 

[Grenadier]

If I were to kill someone, drive drunk, rob a store or bank, or mug someone, I'd expect I'd be punished in some way.

But that would be too fair...

Seems that the general public tends to think different about our star Paris. Following are a few articles I came across.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19198279/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19150915/

Bah... The general public tends to be more sympathetic (or remove the "sym" part from that) when it comes to pampering celebrities. I still remember the Robert Downey Jr. incident, where they claimed he was a victim of society...

 

[Kacey]

Special privilege - for celebrities, for political figures, for anyone with money to pay for a quality attorney - has, IMHO, for much too long been a facet of the American legal system. Personally, I have no interest in Paris Hilton - she has no demonstrable skills, and her only claim to "fame" is having had the good fortune to have been born extremely rich.

 

[Drac]

Off topic post..If I said what I wanted to see happen to poor Paris I'd get banned..

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Special privilege - for celebrities, for political figures, for anyone with money to pay for a quality attorney - has, IMHO, for much too long been a facet of the American legal system. Personally, I have no interest in Paris Hilton - she has no demonstrable skills, and her only claim to "fame" is having had the good fortune to have been born extremely rich.

I definately agree with this!

 

[jks9199]

There have been many threads started here about prisons, how inmates are treated, whether or not certain offenders should be locked up or given community service, etc. I have noticed alot of talk about Paris Hilton, both in the paper and on TV, so I figured I'd start this thread. My question is: Do you feel she is being given special treatment?

I had to laugh this morning, when I read a letter to the editor. The person stated that the public thrives on seeing Paris in the condition shes in, and how her being dragged off to jail is disgusting to him. He goes on to say that with the overcrowding in jails, she should've been given community service.

Interesting enough, I have to ask, if I or anyone else had our license suspended, and knowing that, still drove, if we'd be given probation, comm. service, etc.? If we were sent to jail for 45 days, would we get out in 3, sent home under house arrest, or would be expect to serve the 45? IMHO, and I've said it before, don't do the crime if you can't do the time. If I were to kill someone, drive drunk, rob a store or bank, or mug someone, I'd expect I'd be punished in some way. Seems that the general public tends to think different about our star Paris. Following are a few articles I came across.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19198279/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19150915/

Repeated driving after suspension charges after a DUI suspension can get anyone locked up. Depending on the circumstances, judges in my area do assign jail time; in fact, they usually assign a suspended sentence (often 90 days) which hangs over the defendant for the next year or two for the first offense. Second or subsequent offenses often serve at least a few days. A judge will sometimes work with a defendant, allowing them to serve on weekends, for example, or take advantage of work release programs, if the impact on their life would be excessive and detrimental to others. Choices have consequences, but the consequences shouldn't be out of proportion to the offense, either.

In Paris Hilton's case, she was sentenced to 45 days, and tried to weasel out of the sentence. There was little or no justification for home confinement or alternative punishments; her "job" does not require driving and I don't see how a jail term will keep her from going to parties and making media appearances or TV "shows" afterwards. That said -- the serve 23 for 45 days is normal, as is counting each and every "day" if they spent a fraction of it in custody. Jail inmates in my area typically earn 1 day of "good time" for each day they serve; a typical 10 day sentence involves serving 5 days. Often, inmates are released on parole for the remainder of their sentence. (Other factors, like sending her home in direct violation of the judge's orders are sheriff's responsibility. I suspect that he won't be re-elected...)

Bluntly, Paris Hilton is a spoiled, rich brat who got smacked in the face by the reality that she's not all that special after all. Darn...

As an aside, some of the other conditions of her incarceration ("private" cell in a special area of the jail, for example) are simply reasonable responses to the fact of her celebrity, and the problems it would cause in the administration of the jail.

 

[MJS]

But that would be too fair...

Then again, I'd end up in the slammer for 45yrs, not 45 days. LOL!

 

[MJS]

Special privilege - for celebrities, for political figures, for anyone with money to pay for a quality attorney - has, IMHO, for much too long been a facet of the American legal system.

True.

Personally, I have no interest in Paris Hilton - she has no demonstrable skills, and her only claim to "fame" is having had the good fortune to have been born extremely rich.

Wait, wasn't she in a movie? LOL, all kidding aside, I know what you mean. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't she try her hand at singing? If so, that went real far. A no hit wonder. I wouldn't call "The Simple Life" acting by any stretch. But you're right...she rides on the coat tails of her family. It'd be one thing if she didn't something constructive, but for the life of me, I can't recall anything.

 

[MJS]

Off topic post..If I said what I wanted to see happen to poor Paris I'd get banned..

You'll have to share those thoughts in the backroom.

 

[MJS]

Repeated driving after suspension charges after a DUI suspension can get anyone locked up. Depending on the circumstances, judges in my area do assign jail time; in fact, they usually assign a suspended sentence (often 90 days) which hangs over the defendant for the next year or two for the first offense. Second or subsequent offenses often serve at least a few days. A judge will sometimes work with a defendant, allowing them to serve on weekends, for example, or take advantage of work release programs, if the impact on their life would be excessive and detrimental to others. Choices have consequences, but the consequences shouldn't be out of proportion to the offense, either.

In Paris Hilton's case, she was sentenced to 45 days, and tried to weasel out of the sentence. There was little or no justification for home confinement or alternative punishments; her "job" does not require driving and I don't see how a jail term will keep her from going to parties and making media appearances or TV "shows" afterwards. That said -- the serve 23 for 45 days is normal, as is counting each and every "day" if they spent a fraction of it in custody. Jail inmates in my area typically earn 1 day of "good time" for each day they serve; a typical 10 day sentence involves serving 5 days. Often, inmates are released on parole for the remainder of their sentence. (Other factors, like sending her home in direct violation of the judge's orders are sheriff's responsibility. I suspect that he won't be re-elected...)

Good points, and I think the Sheriff has alot of heat to deal with right now. I can't see how the sheriff could over rule the judges decision to keep her in jail? He claims she had a medical issue. No, her issue was she couldn't deal with reality. I highly doubt she had any 'condition' that the medical staff at the jail wouldn't be able to take care of.

Bluntly, Paris Hilton is a spoiled, rich brat who got smacked in the face by the reality that she's not all that special after all. Darn...

AMEN!!

As an aside, some of the other conditions of her incarceration ("private" cell in a special area of the jail, for example) are simply reasonable responses to the fact of her celebrity, and the problems it would cause in the administration of the jail.

Agreed. Nothing wrong with having a special section, especially because the conditions didn't seem any different than the regular population had. Had she been anywhere else, she'd most likely have her *** whooped by the inmates.

 

[Ceicei]

Here is additional bit of news about her. What caught my attention is at the end of the article which I will quote.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/13/parishilton.ap/index.html

Mary Tiedeman, who regularly visits the jails as a monitor for the ACLU, said the area where Hilton was being housed was usually reserved for high-security inmates or those worse off than Hilton has appeared.

"I don't know what her health issue is, but you have got to have a pretty intense medical or mental health problem to be in that part of the jail," she said.

Anyone care to speculate? Word says she had a severe nervous breakdown or going through intense drug withdrawal? :idunno: Actually, I really don't care... It would be nice to have the media remain silent during the days of her jail. I am tired of all this, but the stories about her is like a train wreck, it's hard not to stop to look.

- Ceicei

 

[Drac]

You'll have to share those thoughts in the backroom.

No problem...

 

[zDom]

Anyone care to speculate?

IBS?


The thing that disgusts me about Paris (ok, just ONE of the things )

is that she is so filthy rich she could and should have PAID someone to drive her around when she was drunk. She could and should have PAID someone to drive her around when she had her license suspended.

 

[FearlessFreep]

...she has no demonstrable skills...

You haven't seen the video?




(oh, I'm in trouble for that one)

 

[tellner]

...she has no demonstrable skills...

You haven't seen the video?
(oh, I'm in trouble for that one)

Not without three condoms, aluminum foil, DipIt and a borrowed tallywhacker

 

[Steel Tiger]

Another point that shows the weirdness of the whole situation is when she was confined to home detention. The monitor for the bracelet she was fitted with was positioned relatively centrally in her home, but if she went to her bedroom she went outside the monitors field, and thus was in violation of the terms of her confinement.

I agree with what others have posted. Paris has flouted the law so many times I think she thought she was immune to prosecution. Its good to see at least one judge who had had enough of the mindless, socially-disruptive behaviour of these talentless, done-nothing celebrities.

 

[MJS]

Here is additional bit of news about her. What caught my attention is at the end of the article which I will quote.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/13/parishilton.ap/index.html

Anyone care to speculate? Word says she had a severe nervous breakdown or going through intense drug withdrawal? :idunno: Actually, I really don't care... It would be nice to have the media remain silent during the days of her jail. I am tired of all this, but the stories about her is like a train wreck, it's hard not to stop to look.

- Ceicei

The thought of going to jail, especially to someone who is not normally a bad person, can be stressful. Now, take someone like Paris, a 'celeb', someone who has the spotlight on her everywhere she goes (why I dont know) and throw her in a place like that, and you can imagine whats going thru her mind. Like I said, I doubt highly that her 'condition' was something over the heads of the medical staff at the jail.

 

[MJS]

...she has no demonstrable skills...

You haven't seen the video?




(oh, I'm in trouble for that one)

I have. I've seen better.

 

[CoryKS]

Yes, Paris Hilton absolutely got special treatment. And I will never - never - forgive her for making me agree with Al Sharpton.