Paris Hilton...

I can’t help but to comment on the circus surrounding the Paris Hilton jail placement. I have seen the extremes our justice system offers its citizen’s. I know hundreds of inmates who would never had seen the inside of any county jail, in any of the toughest counties, for the offense Ms. Hilton is charged with. It is clear that the judge had it in for the young lady. I can site thousands of cases in which this type of punishment would never had been issued.

In the California prison system, each inmate eligible for release must complete a term of parole. The exception being an inmate who’s behavior in so poor that she does her parole period, generally 3 years, in prison. When an inmate does this she discharges her prison number and is free to go. There is no parole period. However, if an inmate does her “program” and receives her allotted “good time credits”, they can be release, but must be on parole. So let’s put into context the 45 day sentence for the traffic/under the influence issue facing Ms. Hilton. When an inmate who is on parole uses drugs/alcohol or violates her conditions of parole, she is subject to return to the prison as a parole violator. When you here about recidivism, this is what is being discussed. The difference is, these individuals have been through the penal/justice system, they have been convicted of a felony, so their behavior is a matter of record. The injustice is that they have to be caught 5, 6, 7 or more times before they are violated and returned. This poor girl gets one major incident (under the influence) and 2 minor infractions, and POW, to the slammer for 45 days. All she is doing is taking up needed bed space for the girl who cuts off her child’s head, or the women who kills her husband in a jealous rage. It seems to me that true justice is something that can not exist. Wealthy individuals seem to “get off” more then the poorer folks, you will never see a rich person on Death Row. However, those same individuals get the shaft by “tough on crime” judges looking to get their 15 minutes of fame.

Now I am not saying she should have been release so early, but what I am saying is that she should never had been put in jail. Once in the slammer, she does her time, but to a guy who deals with overcrowding on a daily and sometimes hourly basis, I would be pissed off if I had some spoiled brat sitting in my cell. The media has coined the term Blonde Justice, and that appears to be right.