Did Lee Baca Put the Safety of His Jail at Risk by Pandering to a No-Talent Celebrity?
There is a serious issue arising out of this Paris Hilton nonsense — and it’s not necessarily the was-she-treated-better-or-worse question that seems to fascinate people so. (For the record, I think she was treated better by Lee Baca, and probably worse by the City Attorney and judge, due to her (unearned) celebrity. All in all, call it a wash.)
The issue is this: Sheriff Lee Baca has a whole jail to run, and he might consider the impact that his decisions have on his inmates as a whole:
An insider at the prison in Lynwood, California, said: “The women inside the jail are seething. They say if you’re a rich white girl you get special treatment.
“They are furious that while Paris had her own special cell with a panic button, was given better food and was kept away from the general population, she was still released early.
“There are girls in here with cancer, TB, and with MRSA. They aren’t allowed to go home and are treated by prison medical staff.
“The prisoners think if you’re rich and pretend you’re sick you can get away with murder.
“Many of the girls have been locked down in their cells all day because they are so furious. The jail is full of screams about Paris.
“Prison bosses fear this could simmer over into violence.”
The deputies in the jails must have been thrilled at Sheriff’s Baca’s decision to release Hilton. What was he doing getting personally involved in that decision anyway?
Meanwhile, however, I may have underestimated the trauma Ms. Hilton suffered, as evidenced by this quote from when she was back at home:
[O]nce back at her luxury home, Paris celebrated by inviting her family round.
A pal said she had sent her assistant shopping and arranged for her make-up artist to visit.
The pal said: “It’s so cruel what has happened to her. She wasn’t allowed to wax or use a moisturiser. Her skin is so dry right now.”
I had no idea!
If I were Paris, my fear level would be skyrocketing. As a result of Baca’s whim to release her did he not then put her in greater jeopardy upon being sent back to jail? I don’t imagine the good will is flowing toward her and yet she was not the one who made the decision to release but unfortunately that won’t make a difference with a lot of angry women.
Dana (db0161) — 6/10/2007 @ 9:20 amAn “insider” huh? I guess it makes it all true. Were the alleged prisoners with cancer, tb, etc. serving sentences of 45 days or less for nonviolent offenses? Let me guess — if they actually exist, no. Baca got involved because whether she got a medical release after five days or a release because of jail policy to relieve overcrowding after five days, the press and a whole lot of people were going to falsely claim disparate treatment.
sam (8c66ab) — 6/10/2007 @ 9:31 amIf it’s true, I’d love to hear the justification for giving her different food than the other inmates receive.
Laura (087c0d) — 6/10/2007 @ 9:54 amThe solution has already been offered. Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County has offered to take in Paris Hilton. I’m sure she would be safe and treated like any other prisoner.
There is plenty of room for her. Sheriff Joe has a VACANCY displayed over his jail. He said he would be tent city down to the Mexican border, if necessary.
Paris would be able to enjoy a meal of green bologna and, perhaps, could get on the waiting list for a chain gang. Her tan could be intact. There could be some shackle tan lines, however. I’m not sure if the females get the infamous pink underwear that the men are issued. If so, they would look marvelous on her.
Sheriff Baca, I’m sure the offer still stands; give it another consideration.
Ken (fcd61d) — 6/10/2007 @ 10:16 amOops, “be tent city” should be “build tent city”.
Ken (fcd61d) — 6/10/2007 @ 10:17 amIn order for them to falsely claim, they would have to not be right.
The Sheriff was – on some level – bought off. Maybe it was just a contribution to his campaign, or maybe it was a pure bribe, but he actively violated standing policy with what he did.
Scott Jacobs (a1de9d) — 6/10/2007 @ 10:22 amUnlike most of you (I assume) I have actually done a little time in the LA Jail (back in the day that it was called “The Glass House) and I guarantee you that Hilton’s safety is a serious issue. Anyone unlucky enough to be a member of the dreaded white race who is in there will face an immediate challenge to their safety, a challenge that I got around by accident. Understand that the main crime the inmates are guilty of is stupidity. One of the racist suppositions down there is that white people know how to fix things. So—this gang banger looking guy comes up to me (I thought I was dead) and asks me if I know a judge he could fix. I told him I didn’t know (while hinting that I did) so he told me a tale of his lawyer telling his mother that he could get his beef lifted if he gave the lawyer $500 to pass on to the judge. Now I knew from an old Perry Mason (that I had watched while at the Hollywood substation holding pen) that the way to get around it and probably get out of the fucking jail was to make one phone call to the DA’s office AFTER 5PM when they were closed, pretend to have secret information to the overworked assistant DA who would be stuck there after working hours, and say that he knew of a kickback scheme and name names of both his lawyer and the judge. Believe it or not, there was a direct line to the offices of City Prosecutors that inmates could use, presumably to rat out his pals, so this guy made a call. The Assistant DA promptly got the guy released to another facility and I assume he was sprung. All I needed to assure my safety was for the guy to vanish into a presumed heaven while the entire guilty prison population witnessed the miracle in order to become the “lawyer” of the whole fucking jail. Guys were lined up to talk to me and I was protected. All I did was dispense TV Lawyer Show advice, mostly what to tell a lawyer, and most of the guys were happy as clams. Now I only did ten days of a 45 day sentence so I might have been killed on the eleventh day, but I survived by luck. The racism and class envy in there is as bad as any old KKK meeting or Nazi Party rally, and anyone white must have white gang backing immediately or else. I was actually more afraid of the Aryan Brotherhood than I was of the Crips and Bloods, but that is another story. Trust me, Hilton is in big time danger down there.
Howard Veit (4ba8d4) — 6/10/2007 @ 10:31 amIt was my understanding that, like other celebrities, she was not doing her time in the general population.
Does somebody have information to the contrary?
Patterico (eeb415) — 6/10/2007 @ 10:36 amIn order for them to falsely claim, they would have to not be right.
They’re not right. And claims that Baca was bought off by a $1000 campaign donation from a year ago are ludicrous.
sam (8c66ab) — 6/10/2007 @ 10:37 amYour one hundred percent right in this post and in your comment number 8. As I understand it, she was being held in a special wing for people who need more attention and protection for any number of reasons: cops, judges, celebrities, etc.
Christoph (bad4f9) — 6/10/2007 @ 11:06 amParis Hilton looks like a dude in drag. Are we sure she shouldn’t be serving her time in the men’s jail?
fngJD (49df46) — 6/10/2007 @ 11:12 amThat is all.
Sure sam… WHat ever helps fuel your indignity over someone having to stay in jail for commiting crimes…
Scott Jacobs (a1de9d) — 6/10/2007 @ 12:42 pmMy indignation is fueled by defendants being treated differently, no matter who they are. I’m also indignant about lame conspiracy theories.
sam (8c66ab) — 6/10/2007 @ 1:53 pmSam, you really think she’s getting jail-time because of the DUI alone, don’t you…
She violated probation SEVERAL times. That gets your probation yanked, and you get to spend time in jail.
The judge – rightly, in my eyes – concluded she was thumbing her nose at the system which has a history of never enforcing the law on those with shit-loads of money. He threw the book at her. Good.
The sheriff then decided to ignore several rules regarding modifying sentences (like getting the judge’s ok, filing motions, and PROVIDING THE DOCTORS REPORTS) in his heavy-handed desire to just set her free.
Why would the judge say “no home arrest”?
Because being confined to her home is no punishment at all for her. Have you SEEN that place? Hell, i could do a nickle there standing on my damned head. When the super-rich need to be punished, you don’t let them spend they’re time in the lap of luxury, which is exactly what her home is.
Scott Jacobs (a1de9d) — 6/10/2007 @ 2:06 pmThe court revoked her probation ONCE, sentenced her to 45 days jail, and reinstated her probation. And, no, failing to enroll in a program and driving on a suspended license with no other criminal record does not get you in jail for 45 days.
The Sheriff operates under a federal consent decree which trumps Judge Sauerpuss.
I agree, that Baca should have not given Hilton a medical release but instead given her an early release after five days like all the other prisoners.
Being confined to her home is more of a restriction than not being confined at all. Again, I believe she shd have received an early release and not home detention.
sam (8c66ab) — 6/10/2007 @ 2:31 pmYes, the court revoked it once, on her second trip in front of the judge for driving on a suspended liscence. The first time through she got a pass, and a personal warning from the judge.
Then that same month she got nailed for doing 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, at night, with no headlights.
And on that second trip, her parole was revoked.
She also failed to comply with a court order to enroll in the specified program, which is ALSO a violation of her parole.
That gets you jail time. If I had done that on my DUI, I’d have gotten at least 45 days.
The sheriff also has to obey the orders handed down by the judge, which specifically stated that home-arrest was not an option.
Scott Jacobs (a1de9d) — 6/10/2007 @ 2:44 pmsam, I certainly agree Paris Hilton shouldn’t have been given a medical release for refusing to go to the toilet.
Lee Baca is setting up an unfair volatile situation at his jail due to his incompetence and star-struck manner.
No surprise less than 10% of his sheriff’s department supported him in his last reelection bid.
Christoph (bad4f9) — 6/10/2007 @ 2:47 pm“Oh, the humanity!”
Another Drew (4d2fc0) — 6/10/2007 @ 3:29 pmSam (#15) Consent decree…
Another Drew (4d2fc0) — 6/10/2007 @ 3:36 pmAren’t you confusing the LA Co Sheriff with the City of Los Angeles Police Department?
Trust me, Hilton is in big time danger down there.
Paris, deserves no more than a sound bite, not the billion dollar broadcasting exposure she has been getting!
Besides her fuck video with her then husband/B-f, or whatever, (which the world has seen), she really does not matter! She could die tonight and would become no more a blurb than the other recently dead blond whore Anna Nichole Smith? A blip. Just another young and dumb little girl that has NEVER been disciplined in her entire 20 something life.
Personally I’d rather see something about that transplant team that died! At least they have done something positive for this world and died in the line of duty to continue doing something for this world.
The real whore here is the MSM and that includes fox! No longer do they have any idea of what constitutes NEWS!!!!
TC (b48fdd) — 6/10/2007 @ 10:16 pmScott: Hilton is not on parole and never was. Her probation was revoked once. You are not Paris Hilton, so stop comparing your treatment by the justice system with hers. And again, no, the sheriff doesn’t have to obey the orders of a judge when they are in direct conflict with a federal consent decree.
Andrew: No, I am not confusing LASD with LAPD. There’s plenty of consent decrees going around.
sam (e321fb) — 6/11/2007 @ 1:09 amsam:
The sheriff screwed up by using the medical condition excuse. As you say he should have used the crowded prison excuse. I say excuse because that’s what it it an excuse. Paris wasn’t in a crowded prison cell, she was in isolation.
davod (3392f5) — 6/11/2007 @ 6:02 amWhat you label an excuse, I call responding to a federal court order to relieve jail overcrowding. You do realize that there is a continuing stream of defendants being sentenced to jail, don’t you? Therefore, it is irrelevant if she was in a segregated area. There’s always someone waiting to come in.
sam (e321fb) — 6/11/2007 @ 6:08 amProbation and Parol are the exact same thing with only one difference.
Parol means you did some jail time, Probation means you haven’t.
Screwing up on either gets you the exact same response – you get yanked back and tossed in the clink.
And Sam, how many times do we have to explain to you that where Paris was did not have overcrowding, and thus your claim that the Sheriff was only follwoing federal law is a moot point, since it doesn’t apply at all?
Scott Jacobs (90eabe) — 6/11/2007 @ 6:11 amNo argument that the amount of media coverage is ridiculous.
MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 6/11/2007 @ 6:00 pmNo argument that she is rich and spoiled and accustomed to everything going her way.
That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a bit hysterical and downright desperate in there.
For her, being put in that jail was “cruel” punishment.
Hopefully she is shocked into some reality, and not harmed and not driven psychotic. (Pity the county litigation department if she does).
Electric ankle bracelet (not fashionable) for 45 days to start, then a year of automated breathalyzer when she gets to drive again.