Paris Hilton Justice Denied

Paris Hilton is being vilified by virtue of the mob rule mentality of folks who are just plain ignorant about how their legal system works. All over the country it is routine to shorten the actual sentences handed down by judges. ROUTINE! Murderers, rapists, and pedophiles walk free after serving a fraction of their sentences, yet the mob insists that a young woman serve an unnecessarily cruel sentence because they hate her for being rich, young, beautiful, and promiscuous. In Salem women got burned at the stake so obviously nothing has changed in all this time.

I have a more balanced view because in spite of being everything she is not, I am not in the least bit envious of Paris Hilton. I think she should have received the typical weekend sentence that most people get for violating probation in a reckless driving situation. Of course I think the drunk driving laws don't do enough to take care of the safety issue, and the fact that the original charge is reckless driving shows that the system is flawed. I'm a member of MADD, I am responsible when I drive, yet all I would ask is that everyone get the same sentence until the laws are changed. Nobody should be unfairly singled out because others don't like them. That is not what America is supposed to be about. In every statement you hear or read about Paris Hilton try to substitute the words "someone", "a person", "he" or "him". This way gender bias, money bias, youth bias, and beauty bias shouldn't enter into it.

In typical situations like this one, the normal sentence is a weekend stay in the county jail for a first time offender. Then if someone violates probation the second time the sentence is about a week in the county jail. The third time they should be promised 30 days in lockup. In all cases, nobody serves the full amount of time if they behave themselves in jail.

My roommate's soon-to-be-ex-husband is currently driving around drunk on a suspended license after getting a DUI in Pennsylvania. He can actually petition the system to let him have the right to drive to and from work but has been too lazy to ask for that privilege. Paris Hilton could presumably have done the same thing in California. If the STBX here is caught he will most likely get a weekend sentence for a month. This is because the system likes for defendants to work so they can continue to pay exhorbitant fines.

So, instead of vilifying the defendant we should be trying to change the system so that it accurately reflects the consequences we expect as a society. And while we are at it, let's first fix the way we mishandle pedophiles, rapists, and murderers in the justice system.