Paris Match

Considering all the hoopla over Paris Hilton's remand to the LA County jail following a very eventful day yesterday, it's time to take a serious look at what's going on here.

This whole mess is a black eye for the criminal justice system in Los Angeles.

What really prompted the judge to order the remand to jail for the full term, and perhaps more importantly, what did the LA County Sheriff do?

Right now, it's reported that Paris is being treated in the medical wing of the LA County Jail because of her fragile mental health state. Based on what what had been reported about Paris and the reason for her release so early into her jail sentence, that should have been where Paris was placed after it became apparent that her health was being adversely affected, not remanded to house arrest. Her lawyers expect her to stay the weekend, and are drawing up a writ of habeas corpus to contend the detention.

The Sheriff, Lee Baca, may be in a whole boatload of hot water over his handling of the entire matter. The judge is none too happy with the way the sheriff acted - especially in releasing Paris to house arrest without the judge's approval. Favoritism may be a factor here as some reports indicate that the sheriff had received a contribution from Paris' grandfather.

Baca claims that the jail is severely overcrowded and doesn't have room to deal with low-level offenders, especially ones that have medical issues. Well, the solution to that problem isn't revolving door justice, but devoting more resources to building prisons so that those who are convicted of crimes actually do the time they're supposed to.

What's fascinating is that opinions are divided over whether Paris got too light or too harsh a sentence and whether she received preferential treatment. Everyone seems to have an opinion here. Is Paris getting the full sentence because of what the sheriff did, or did she bring this on herself?

The key would be the sentencing guidelines and whether the judge had latitude in the matter. The sheriff's actions are a separate matter unto itself - and whether he had the authority to supersede the court's order.

Is she a victim of society? I don't think so. She drove while under the influence, and that kind of act is one that can get someone killed. She became a cultural phenomenon, for better or worse, simply by peddling herself. The media and tabloid attention was brought about by her own sheer will to be noticed.

Now, everyone, including Presidential candidates, is noticing that she's unable to do the time for her criminal acts and wonder whether Paris is stuck in a turf fight between the judge and the sheriff's office.

UPDATE:
To clarify matters, here's a timeline for you:

1) Paris drove drunk and was arrested for DUI in September 2006.
2) She was sentenced at that time to 36 months probation and her license suspended. No time served.
3) She then violated the terms of her probation - by being arrested for driving without a license. Her violation led to the judge imposing a 45 day sentence for the violation of her probation on May 4, 2007.
4) She enters the LA County Jail on June 3, 2007 to serve out her sentence, which could be reduced to 23 days for good behavior.
5) She lasts until June 7, 2007 before the sheriff's office releases her to house arrest for 40 days.
6) The judge orders everyone back to court on June 7 to reassert that Paris must spend time in jail. She's currently in the medical wing of the LA County Jail.
7) Paris may still end up doing less than 45 days in jail as a result of "good behavior" but her sentence always was 45 days.