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When You're Being Compared to O.J. Simpson...

OJ Simpson Paris Hilton Abovethelaw Above the Law blog.JPGAnd he's coming out on top, you know you've hit rock bottom. From TMZ.com:

We now have quantifiable proof that it's better to be O.J. Simpson than Paris Hilton. What is wrong with the world?

You can now buy t-shirts that read "L.A. Court Scorecard: O.J. 1, Paris 0" from the Cafepress.com website. Some might call it ironic that O.J. got away with murder, while Paris is serving time for driving when she wasn't supposed to.

You can purchase merchandise featuring the graphic at right by clicking here.

Paris Hilton, O.J. [CafePress.com]
It's Good to Be O.J., Sucks to Be Paris [TMZ.com]

Comments
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1 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, June 13, 2007 2:11 PM

"Some might call it ironic." What? I think the author has the same definition of irony as Alanis Morissette.

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, June 13, 2007 2:16 PM

I wonder how Sharpton feels about this

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, June 13, 2007 2:23 PM

O.J. had talent. Despite Ron Goldman's best efforts, he still has a Heisman.

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, June 13, 2007 2:25 PM

The Juice was in jail for a long, long time while he waited for and went through trial.

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, June 13, 2007 6:16 PM

OJ served more time in jail.

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6 Posted by Itoldyouso | Permalink Thursday, June 14, 2007 10:17 AM

Several posters asked for the stats:

Hilton will do more time than most, analysis finds
By Jack Leonard and Doug Smith, Times Staff Writers
LA Times
June 14, 2007

Paris Hilton will end up serving more time behind bars THAN THE VAST MAJORITY OF INMATES SENT TO L.A. COUNTY JAIL FOR SIMILAR OFFENSES, according to a Times analysis of jail records.

Whether Hilton received special treatment from the Sheriff's Department has become the subject of much debate since Sheriff Lee Baca last week allowed the hotel heiress to go home after less than four full days in jail, despite a promise that she would serve 23 days of a 45-day sentence.
The Times ANALYZED 2 MILLION JAIL RELEASES AND FOUND 1,500 CASES SINCE JULY 2002 THAT — LIKE HILTON'S — INVOLVED DEFENDANTS WHO HAD BEEN ARRESTED FOR DRUNK DRIVING AND LATER SENTENCED TO JAIL AFTER A PROBATION VIOLATION OR DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE.

Had Hilton left jail for good after FOUR DAYS, her stint behind bars WOULD HAVE BEEN SIMILAR TO THOSE SERVED BY 60% OF THOSE INMATES.

But after a judge sent her back to jail Friday, Hilton's attorney announced that she would serve the full 23 days. That means that HILTON WILL END UP SERVING MORE TIME THAN 80% OF OTHER PEOPLE IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS.

The findings came as some critics accused Baca of showing favoritism to Hilton and as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors launched an investigation into whether the multimillionaire received special treatment because of her wealth and fame.

The data also underscore the profound effect of the Sheriff's Department's early-release program, which sets inmates free before their sentences are up to ease overcrowding.

Before the early-release program began in 2002, inmates with cases similar to Hilton's were sentenced to terms that amounted to an average of 23 days, the same as Hilton is expected to serve. They actually served 20 days. After the program began, the average term was 14 days, with inmates actually serving an average of four days.

Because of the high media interest, Hilton was one of only a few inmates whose premature release received publicity — and the judge who originally sentenced her noticed. She is believed to be the first inmate in years who actually was sent back to jail to serve more of her term.

"Twenty-three days would be considerably more than the average person given her sentence would actually serve," said Stan Goldman, professor of criminal law and procedure at Loyola Law School. "The jails are so overcrowded that even though overcrowding is not the reason for her release, it colors every release decision from the jails system."

Baca's release of Hilton because of undisclosed medical problems touched off a storm of protest. Last year, the department released only three inmates on medical grounds, a spokesman said.

One of the most vocal critics, civil rights activist Najee Ali, said Wednesday that Hilton ought to be released if inmates sentenced for similar crimes were serving less time. He continued to criticize Baca's decision to cite medical problems for the release, but added that only dangerous offenders should serve their full sentences given the jail's need to limit overcrowding.

"Clearly, her violation is not as serious, so she should be released," said Ali, director of Project Islamic Hope. "The rules of fairness should be applied equally."

Hilton was sentenced to 45 days for violating probation on alcohol-related, reckless-driving charges from an incident in September. Police stopped her while she was driving during the period that her license was suspended.

If Hilton does serve the 23 days, she will have done about the same amount of time as 4,000 inmates who since 2002 had been charged with assaults, as well as more than 1,800 charged with burglary, more than 2,600 charged with domestic violence and nearly 11,000 charged with drug violations.

Over the last five years, more than 200,000 inmates have been released early. Baca started the releases during a budget crunch that he said left him no choice but to shut large portions of the nation's largest county correctional system. Though economic times have since improved, a federal court has ordered his department to reduce chronic overcrowding in the jails, hampering efforts to keep inmates longer.

The Times' analysis of jail releases found that more than 60% of those with cases similar to Hilton's walked free after serving less than half their time. Under the department's current guidelines, Hilton probably would have served even less time. Most nonviolent female offenders sentenced to less than 90 days are released immediately.

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