It's disgusting that they let her out.

I hope if she gets another DUI they throw her back in jail.

Unfortunately when I was a probation officer in central Illinois, I saw some pretty lenient sentences even among non-celebs, and even relatively poor people. The biggest difference, presenting an "good" image in court (clean and respectful), and having a decent lawyer (not necessarily an expensive lawyer, but one that had at least spent a couple hours with the client before court. You'd be surprised at how many hired attorneys, let alone public defenders, who actually met their client for the first time 20 minutes before court).

When there was all the fuss that her sentence was so much harsher than others in her situation (celebs with good lawyers?), I could very well see it being true, but no different than what I saw. They said the judge was offended by her attitude in court (apparently she was non impressed with the judge if not downright disrespectful). I guess her attorney couldn't have been too good if he didn't tell her to kiss judge butt big time (it's certainly what I advised my probationees). Then again, idiots of all classes tend not to listen to good advice.

When I worked with juveniles, we had a kid who was up on truancy charges (not generally a charge a kid is supposed to see incarceration for), and when the judge ordered him to go to school, he said to the judge "Homie don't play dat," and the judge sentenced him to 6 months for contempt of court.

I had a woman on my caseload who got a pretty stiff sentence, and didn't know why (she'd come to see me right after court), and I suggested her T-shirt might have had something to do with it (sort of a kama sutra of cartoon pigs in different positions). "But, it's my best t-shirt," she said. Yes, unfortunately not only rich celebutantes are stupid and clueless.

People with a steady job, who had never gotten into trouble besides DUI
offenses, who were exceedingly respectful to the judge (at least to his face), and had an attorney who actually cared about the client and the outcome always seemed to get off lightly (which might be justified the first time, but after the 4th or 5th time!) Some of that has changed with the 3rd strike laws, but plea bargaining can still create loopholes.

I guess the "good" news, if there is any in Paris' case, is that in my experience the shortest first time sentence was the most effective. If someone stayed long enough to lose their fear, they were more likely to have a second offense. The problem is it all depends on how Paris sees this. If she believes she has manipulated the system, we'll see her in trouble again. In fact, she'll probably violate the home detention (my prediction for what it's worth). However, if she was truly terrified, 3 or 4 days in jail may have done her more good than serving the entire sentence.

What ticks me off, though, is the message it sends to everyday people. Starting with the fact that she is newsworthy, having never "done" anything important herself. Having money and looking good are all that matters. Yikes, we're a twisted society.

WOW! After the things you gals have said about her I think I need to give her a big o :hug:

Careful. You look like a bear hug giver and you'll squish the anorexic brat.

Thanks for "lookin'" out for me Mare ;)

I've got your 6. Who luv's ya, baby?

Actually it looks as if the party may be over before it got started. :) I read tonight that the judge who sentenced her has ordered her back to court tomorrow and may put her back in jail where she belongs! From what it said, the person who released her may not have had the authority to do so. We shall see.

Originally Posted by Misti in Seattle:
Actually it looks as if the party may be over before it got started. :) I read tonight that the judge who sentenced her has ordered her back to court tomorrow and may put her back in jail where she belongs! From what it said, the person who released her may not have had the authority to do so. We shall see.

This is great news! I think she should have to serve her time as originally ordered just like everyone else has to.

And you *know* she won't be let out early this time!

She is an adult, and her choices did put her in this situation, but I do have some compassion for her. From my understanding, they had put her in an isolation cell "for her protection," with no contact during the day, except in passing during the 1 hour she was allowed out of her cell (probably in an enclosed exercise yard).

Given Paris's celebrity status, I would guess that even if she begged to be put in general population (which I'm sure she did or would have in a few more days, if left in), there's no way she would be allowed to (FAR too much work and responsibility for the guards to keep everyone safe).

When I worked in a juvenile detention center, each child slept in an individual concrete cell and could be fed through the door, if absolutely necessary, but they spent the day together in school and/or social areas. There were two isolation cells available for use if a child became violent or had been a discipline problem (unfortunately also for use as bedroom cells during overcrowding). Even so, a kid in isolation had a lot more human contact than one hour a day. If another kid was in isolation during the day, they could talk between cells. Usually because of overcrowding, even a kid in isolation would have someone to talk to at night.

The adults in jail spent most of their time in barred cells with a roommate, so they could interact with the person in their cell and in the cells around them.

Solitary confinement (23 of 24 hours alone) is extremely stressful. I saw kids and adults who were terrified of it. Even in prisons this is used only in extreme cases (as punishment or to protect a person's life), because most people can't handle the lack of human contact for more than a few days, and some people go nutty after only a few hours. In that respect her full sentence would have been much harsher than the "average" person's.

I was asked to go on television to discuss my views with the BBC regarding Paris Hilton's early release.

If you think about it, most people released on house arrest dont live in mansions. They dont have a personal chef, tennis courts, a spa, jacuzzis, a swimming pool, and cable/the internet in every single room of their home.

The judge's original ruling stated that her sentence could not be altered! If they wont even release the medical condition which she supposedly has, then it must be really life threatening!! I mean, jails are well equipped with hospital wards and the like.

I personally, think someone got paid some mucho $$

No, she wasn't sentenced to solitary confinement, but that's what she's going to serve, whether she or her lawyers want it or not. Knowing how jails work in a relatively small community, I can only imagine how much worse in a large city. Safety is a real issue for several reasons. While it's possible that she might be attacked (by someone thinking it a great way to become famous or impress their friends), it's more likely that the ladies would want to get close for autographs, or just to talk to her. This could also provide a distraction for a female inmate to attack another inmate while the guards are watching and controlling the fuss around Paris.

Also, while prisons have an infirmary, most do not have hospital facilities. If a person needs hospital admission they will either be escorted to the hospital if treatment is expected to be short, or transferred to a prison with hospital facilities. But Paris wasn't sent to prison, she was sent to Jail. Most people don't realize there is a difference, but it is a big one. I unfortunately had many probationees who on violating probation were very unhappy to get jail time (up to 1 year) rather than prison time, because of there being "a lot more to do" in prison. Most (if not all) jails do not have hospital facilities, and most don't eveh have an infirmary.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions is how harshly an average person would be treated for driving on a suspended license after a DUI, at least in most communities. I had many people on probation, even those who were very poor, who never served a day of jail time (except maybe until their first court date, if they couldn't make bail) for repeated DUI and driving offenses.
If they had a job, or were an upstanding citizen in any way, the judges were often much more lenient than I would have preferred. Because of overcrowding, jail (let alone prison) was often the last thing they'd be sentenced to. For probation violations (as long as they were less severe than the crime convicted of in the original sentence) even for felony crimes like residential burglary, and even battery rarely were sentenced to anything harsher than having their probation extended (usually for six months to a year at most).

Also, it wasn't common, but certainly not unusual for jail sentences to be adjusted mid-sentence. If an inmate became ill, or had a family member become ill, or even get a job offer their attorney could submit a motion requesting the sentence be changed or reconsidered. I had a guy (poor and with a public defender) get his 30 day jail sentenced changed to six months probation so that he could enter the military, and another get the ankle bracelet and probation so he could look for a job because he had a large family (he never did find a job - mostly because he wasn't looking very hard - but despite my repeatedly filing probation violation reports - he never got so much as a slap on the wrist. Ankle bracelet violations, whether the person was poor or not, were not taken very seriously).

None of this is good or ok, it's just that when we say Paris should serve her sentence "just like everyone else has to," the assumption is that everyone else has to, and that has not been my experience. I could list dozens of cases where average and even career criminals were given alot more breaks than Paris both before and after sentencing.

Sentencing in the US is very inconsistent and doesn't make alot of sense much of the time. That is what I would like to see changed. As for Paris in particular, I really don't care much one way or the other. Whether her sentence is "fair" or not is a lot less important to me than the many cases in which felony criminals are getting unfairly lenient sentences. Whether anyone thinks Paris is being treated unfairly (too harshly or too leniently) is getting far too much attention in my opinion. What bothers me is that it is NOT news when a non-famous person does not receive the sentence that appropriately fits their crime. That should be much more newsworthy in my opinion, than anything Paris Hilton does.

Colleen - you're my hero.

Solitary, which is what Paris would get, is WAY harsher than the punishment that anyone else would get for this crime.

It is all well and good to say that she should serve the time like everyone else, but the way in which she will serve that time, in prison or at home, is by the nature of who she is, going to be different than the way everyone else would. Everyone else would be in a general area of the jail, with other people around. Everyone else would have WAY less scrutiny on their jail proceedings/sentencing.

I have a friend who got convicted of a DUI on a license already suspended for a DUI. He had -no- jail time. He was put straight on probation. He was a normal person, but we don't HEAR about him because he is a normal person. And even if he HAD been required to go to jail, he would not have been in solitary confinement if he was reasonably behaved.

The saddest part? Gen. Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, just stepped down...this is a man who has major influence on US policy on war and foreign relations. This is major news. I had to go through 5 news stations to get OFF the Paris coverage and onto the White House press conference.

I sort of understand solitary confinement. I was placed in it for about a week after I almost went into a diabetic coma. My doctor thought I was "going to harm myself further"

I was allowed books and pens and paper, allowed to write and read to my heart's content. I was given things to do. I guess when your left socially inept and alone, after being given a life that lavishes everything upon you at your beckon call, you tend to go a bit crazy and dont know what to do with yourself!

I never had it as bad as kids in juvenile halls though, that much I do know. I have worked with many social workers and children with behavioral disorders,a nd I have seen what they go through.

Theres sooo many people who have been to jail, and not got any special treatment. I just cant believe how america is so sucked in to this Paris Hilton bullcrap. Im tired of seeing it on my local news. I want to know MY LOCAL NEWS. What I need to know. Maybe like the weather, crimes in my area. What is she famous for? A sex tape?? Because her dad?? I have no idea why I should care. I DONT!! I think this is so sad, that people focus on her. Instead of Iraq, our soliders (who actually are doing something for our country) the goverment, Global Warming. Why is america so consumed by someone who did absouletly nothing. I just dont get it. Im just mad that there are much bigger things going on in this world, but yet, all everyone seems to care about is paris hilton. I personally think this is just sick.