Paris free?? already??

[Smiling JOe]

It is easy to poke fun, doesn't anyone see the arrogance on the part of the judge? Does everyone think that judges are all fine upstanding people. Once the judge sentenced her, she became the responsibility of corrections. It is no longer his business. The arrogant ego of the judge is what should be questioned here.

No, I don't think that all judges are fine upstanding people. There are good ones and bad ones. Being a judge doesn't make one good or bad.

Not that I really care in the least bit, but I disagree that the Judge has no business stepping in when she was released against specific orders. The Sheriff is sworn to uphold the laws, and in this case, it sounds like he failed to do so. A Judge's order isn't some guideline from which the Sheriff can make his own decisions whether or not to follow. If Sheriff Joe,

from Maricopa County, Arizona was the Sheriff in charge, Brittney, or whatever her name is, would be serving time wearing black and whites, in a hot tent in the dessert.

From a CNN story on Sheriff Joe:

Arpaio is among the state's most popular office-holders. He enjoys an 85 percent approval rating among voters in the county, which at 9,200 square miles is larger than some states, and includes the city of Phoenix.


Even some inmates treat him like a celebrity. As the sheriff stands in a group of female prisoners, one presents a legal pad.


"You want an autograph? What you got here? What's your name?" he asks.


On another occasion, a male prisoner, a look of anger on his face, tries to talk to the sheriff, who quickly interrupts:

"You have been convicted. You're doing your time. Do your time and shut your mouth and do what you have to do."

 

[NoHall]

Paul Harvey talks about Sheriff Joe from time to time, saying that reciditivism might not be such an issue if others in corrections followed his examples. NOBODY wants to go back to his jail!

 

[30A Skunkape]

Here is a snip from Susan Estrich:
She didn't just violate the law once. She didn't just violate the law twice. It was the third time that was the charm. I talked to the CHP officer who stopped her one of those times, and he made perfectly clear to her that she had no right to be driving on a license suspended because of her earlier reckless driving.
It wasn't that she didn't understand what was permitted. She didn't care. She figured she'd get away with it because of who she is, and she was right.

This was written before she went back to the prison. If I recall correctly, the Judge was so irate from the beginning of this because the Hiltons treated it like a big joke and acted-out in the courtroom. I think she deserves special treatment while imprisoned, but she can't be above the law.

 

[John R]

....isn't a 45 day sentence a little over-the-top for that when compared to what the everyday person might get?

driving on a suspended license in colorado gets one 5 days minimum mandatory per occurrance.

rapunzel, why should she get special treatment upon incarceration?

 

[30A Skunkape]

driving on a suspended license in colorado gets one 5 days minimum mandatory per occurrance.

rapunzel, why should she get special treatment upon incarceration?

I think you were aiming that at me What I mean is that I think the state owes her a certain amount of safety while in prison, and she should be confined from a population of bad apples that might be looking to kick her ass in order to achieve celebrity status. Basically that it is reasonable for her to be in a private cell and segregated from the general populace.

 

[scooterbug44]

Talk about cruel and unusual punishment, I was stuck in the airport terminal for several hours friday listening to the inane coverage!

One of the few intelligent things said by an analyst was that the judges/prosecuters etc. are fed up w/ getting convictions and the sheriff releasing the people after a fraction of the time to make room for more serious cases. 60 days usually means 2 etc.

Also loved the comment "of course she's on the verge of a nervous breakdown. As a lawyer I've been in jails all over the country and a good percentage of the inmates are in mental distress. That's why it's a punishment."