Patterico: Shamelessly Giving the People What They Want; Lee Baca: Shamelessly Doing the Same for Celebrities
Lee Baca’s reign of deference to celebrities continues:
Los Angeles County jail officials vowed to treat Paris Hilton like any other inmate.
But the Sheriff’s Department on Thursday launched an internal investigation into whether the hotel heiress got special perks while at the Century Regional Detention Center in Lynwood.
The department union, which has repeatedly clashed with Sheriff Lee Baca, said deputies have come forward to complain that Hilton had free access to a cellphone while other prisoners must wait in line to use pay phones during set hours.
Hilton also received daily visits from top brass at the Lynwood facility — including a captain who hand-delivered her mail — in contrast to others who get letters brought to them by inmate trusties, they said.
And officials were allegedly ordered to give her a new jail uniform while many inmates use recycled ones.
Two sheriff’s officials — who spoke on condition of anonymity — confirmed those details of her incarceration.
I call for interviews to be done with every person who has ever been incarcerated in L.A. County Jail to determine the rate of usage of new uniforms.
Anything else would be irresponsible.
Was she able to take her unused minutes from her plan with her when she left prison? Now that would be egregious.
Schmoe (20ce31) — 7/13/2007 @ 7:13 amThese “special perks” look like security precautions to me.
alphie (015011) — 7/13/2007 @ 9:08 amWhadya wanna bet someone paid, under the table, to buy the uniform(s) Paris wore?
Beldar (dc42c4) — 7/13/2007 @ 10:28 amDidn’t I just read (somewhere ?) that prisoners at some LA prison were refusing home release because their healthcare was better in the prison ?
Paris Hilton’s home release and the outrage seems a bit ironic
Neo (cba5df) — 7/13/2007 @ 10:43 amI’m with alphie (maybe for the first time). Her mail, for example, represents a much bigger opportunity than normal for an unscrupulous fellow inmate.
Eric (605286) — 7/13/2007 @ 1:38 pmDidn’t two “trustees” recently murder another inmate whom they thought a member of a rival gang?
nk (9c9223) — 7/13/2007 @ 2:44 pmI agree that some of the perks seem like a security precaution. Some don’t. Private phone access could have been handled differently. Instead of having unlimited (it sounds like) cell phone use, she could have had a set time to use it. Having a new uniform instead of a used one could be a special priviledge, but it could also be because she’s ~5’7″ and very skinny. Median height for a white woman her age is 5’4.5″. She’s taller than 80% of white women and at ~120lbs weighs less than 75% of white women her age (not adjusted for height). In other words, it’s unlikely there is a used uniform that comes close to fitting her. In any case, a new vs. used uniform doesn’t seem to be a security issue. Launder it, run a metal detector over it (maybe someone sewed a weapon in), and do a quick manual check. That’s all is needed to ensure security of a used garment. I agree that mail delivered by a jail authority could be due to security concerns.
P.S. I used the charts for white women because that’s the category she fits into among the height/weight charts I found. I am not making any judgements concerning race.
bonhomme (d737be) — 7/13/2007 @ 3:17 pmWhat the f—?
Christoph (8741c8) — 7/13/2007 @ 5:12 pmAt this point, does anyone really care?
Another Drew (8018ee) — 7/13/2007 @ 5:26 pm