This is what happened to Lindsay Lohan, a seemingly constant visitor to LA’s courts over the last 5 years. Just about every month Lohan’s name appears in the media through a continued stream of probation violations, in and out of rehabilitation facilities, driving under the influence, DUI arrests, sobriety tests, failure to appear in court, bench warrants and more.
Last year alone, a judge sentenced Lohan to 90 days in jail, where she spent but 14 days due to jail overcrowding. Concurrent with the 90 day jail term, the same judge ordered Lohan to attend three month of rehab as soon as her release from jail, however, she spent only 23 days at that facility. Following a drug test probation violation Lohan was again in jail for part of a single day last September and released on bail. Subsequent to that arrest, she entered the Betty Ford alcohol treatment center.
This year, Lohan was charged with theft, sentenced to 120 days in jail and 480 hours of community service. Once again due to jail overcrowding, Lohan served the sentence under house arrest and by wearing an ankle monitor. During her house arrest, Lohan failed a random alcohol test, with the judge deciding that was not a probation violation.
Last month, Judge Sautner revoked Lohans probation, sending her to jail, in setting bail she told Lohan she must complete 156 hours of community service at a morgue before her next hearing. Lohan posted bail and was released from jail after a few hours.
This month Judge Sautner sentenced Lohan to 30 days in jail and 400 hours of community service. Again, Lohan spent bit more than 4 hours of that sentence in jail and was released due to jail overcrowding.
Each time Loahan visited the courts, literally dozens of deputies crowded the court room, each trying to appear in the eye of the camera. This is a sheer phenomenon as we can see it. How much does such spectacle cost the taxpayer, in terms of deputies, time of the court and complete stand-still of other cases?
This is charade, there is a lack of oversight and the judge must know this, yet continues through the motion by sentencing a person, she knows full well will spend hours or minutes before being on the street again. Seemingly, there is a lack of oversight in everything taking place here.
The question then becomes one of: Will the average person get the same treatment, same amount of deputies in a courtroom, same amount of leniencies, benefits? Are the same principles applied to all and every other person? We all know the answer.