January 10, 2002

4:53 PM

Yasmine Bleeth only gets two stinking years probation.Yeah, she gets court costs, yeah, she gets community service. But no jail time. Unless it's because she only had (only had?) less than 25 grams of cocaine...oh, and driving under the influence. The question this post begs is: Is this another instance of a double standard for celebrities? I've heard about double standards for child molestation (a football player in New York), murder (Ray Lewis), etc...and there are obviously MANY instances of celebrities getting preferred treatment when it comes to drug charges. I guess this is just another one.
posted by taumeson (20 comments total)

My bad...Mostly it's the NBA with the statutory rape/child molestation. DeShawn Stevenson, Anthony Mason...in the NFL, it's Mark Chmura. I was listening to the radio here in Tampa and some redneck got 10 years for sleeping with a 16 year old when he was 24. These guys didn't get anywhere NEAR that, as far as I can tell.

And, personally, I'm against the war on drugs, mostly. Though I think she should get 10-15 for the DUI, because of the possible affect getting into an accident would have on others.
posted by taumeson at 4:57 PM on January 10, 2002

This does point out the double standard for celebrities, but it also points out the impossibility of an objective and consistent way to enforce drug laws, or any victimless crime for that matter. Not that we should stop, necessarily, but the way the law handles drugs in America has been in desperate need of re-examination for decades. "Just Say No" didn't work. They're still trying that approach, but they just word it differently.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:27 PM on January 10, 2002

double standard for hotties is in effect!
posted by howa2396 at 5:30 PM on January 10, 2002

I imagine it's only an example of the double standard for attractive folks who can afford good lawyers vs. unattractive folks who can't. This particular double standard isn't unique to the present day or the United States, it's as old as law and civilization.
posted by jfuller at 5:37 PM on January 10, 2002

She's not the only one. One of Reagan's former assistants had a relatively light sentence for his second DUI. 5k, a 23 month suspension, and 40 days of community service seems a little light. I know people that have paid close to 10k for a first offense. The thing that really got me is that the judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail, but is going to let him serve it in an alcohol treatment center, despite the fact that he just spent 6 MONTHS in a treatment center.
posted by ezfowler at 5:41 PM on January 10, 2002

When it comes to lawyers, you get what you pay for.
posted by mathowie at 5:49 PM on January 10, 2002

Mmm... that Yasmine Bleeth sure is a hottie!
posted by John Shaft at 6:52 PM on January 10, 2002

is anyone really suprised here?

robert downey jr. breaks into someone's home while he's on drugs and the world feels pity for him since he 'just can't get it together'.

the nephew of john ashcroft gets probation for growing 60 pot plants w/intent to distribute link

meanwhile, we devote more and more $ to militarize the nation and build super jails under the auspice of some holy crusade.

whatever.
posted by bliss322 at 7:20 PM on January 10, 2002

double standards... murder (Ray Lewis). What was the dbl. standard part of his treatment? He was charged and tried for murder, the DA offered him a deal in the middle of a trial that was a complete fiasco. The funny thing was, there wasn't any evidence against him. Now Paula Poundstone, M. Jackson, Hallie Berry: YES... When it comes to lawyers, you get what you pay for. I thought that was 'when it comes to politicians, you get what you pay for'.
posted by Mack Twain at 7:35 PM on January 10, 2002

Aside to the original poster: "begging the question" does not mean "asking for an answer," but refers to a logical fallacy. William Safire wrote about this recently but I can't find it online.

Not trying to derail the thread, just sayin'.
posted by muckster at 7:56 PM on January 10, 2002

She obviously needs help, when I saw this picture I thought it was Kirstie Allie!
posted by megnut at 8:52 PM on January 10, 2002

From an article in the Detroit News, it sounds like she was given a period of probation under a drug diversion program. If she can make it through the probationary period, which includes conditions like regular drug testing, she won't be subject to the Michigan sentencing guidelines. This is a pretty standard outcome for a first offense, with a possession charge for a small amount of drugs. This "probation prior to prosecution" result is happening in drug courts in a number of places in the country.

Her codefendant has had previous charges, according to the article, and he probably won't be offered a deal like she was given. His "habitual offender status" may increase any prison time by a few years.
posted by bragadocchio at 10:40 PM on January 10, 2002

Obviously driving under the influence of anything (other than Magic Tree) is BAD but as for the rest of it... when celebrities get arrested for drugs it just shows up the pointlessness of the 'War on Drugs' and the myth that a single line of coke or toke from a doobie will turn you into a raving maniac. The fact is that people do drugs, people get arrested for doing drugs, and every once in a while a celebrity will get arrested for doing drugs. So what?
posted by skylar at 2:02 AM on January 11, 2002

It's not a celebrity thing.
It's not an "attractive" thing.
It's a socioeconomics thing.
You get all the justice you can afford in the Corporate States of North America.
posted by nofundy at 5:02 AM on January 11, 2002

It's a "G" thang.
posted by adampsyche at 5:04 AM on January 11, 2002

> It's not an "attractive" thing.

I threw in "attractive" because that's socioeconomic, too. Nice clothes, thin bodies and good teeth strongly correlate with plenty of money in the bank.
posted by jfuller at 6:29 AM on January 11, 2002

taumeson - in the NFL, it's Mark Chmura.

Chmura is innocent. What exactly is the double-standard there?
posted by NortonDC at 7:55 AM on January 11, 2002

nofundy is right, I had a few friends in college that got caught in possession of cocaine. Because they could afford decent lawyers and had 'bright futures' ahead of them, nothing happened. Not even probation.
posted by TiggleTaggleTiger at 8:41 AM on January 11, 2002

Chmura is innocent.


Chmura was found not guilty; there's a difference.
posted by aaronetc at 10:24 AM on January 11, 2002

Since he's innocent until proven guilty, he is innocent.
posted by NortonDC at 11:42 PM on January 11, 2002