That is specifically the media disinformation I'm referring to; the 10% is tripe. The 10% was uttered once by a legal analyst who was describing what she should have gotten the first time she showed contempt or for her first violation of parole - this number has been siezed upon by media as proof that she is getting a raw deal because she is famous. Total bunk. Her latest sentence was 45 days with a 50% reduction for good behaviour, which she has yet to exhibit.

The justice system in the US is unfair - money and class will get you out of hot water - the situation with Paris reaffirms rather than contradicts this. Our prison system creates more criminals. Commit a crime and the odds are you either won't be caught, won't be punished, or will actually spend time with people who can teach you to avoid getting caught next time. The irony in the Hilton situation is that normally, law enforcement is at odds with Justice due to light sentences and legal technicalities that put offenders back on the street without consequences. Now, we see more law enforcement agencies struggling to meet the sentencing requirements - in part due to mandatory minimums passed by politicians who don't understand the effect of their empty "tough on crime" election-time rhetoric. Overcrowding? Are there more criminals? Is it just that more criminals are being caught? Is it that mandatory minimums are too harsh? Is prison really a deterrent? Recidivism is climbing, class and socio-economic background are statistical standouts in current prison populations... tough issues that made me switch from Criminology to Geology in college.

On topic and a tangent to the Hilton coverage - how many uninformed viewers believed the sailors at Alum Creek were in a life-threatening situation? The readers of this forum know better, but Mike's post drives home that, unless you do, you might take the media coverage to be an accurate representation... I'd bet the sailors told the reporter "hey, it was no big deal really," and that part is in the editor's recycle bin.