When it comes to jail or even prison, no one is immune to getting locked up. Not even if you’re rich and famous. There have been a lot of people that have not only garnered a great deal of success in this world, but have also gone to the big house, so to speak. Jail is no joke, and prison has found many amazing and talented people in their cells. In most cases, celebrities do their time and get out, and hopefully do not go back. In other instances, they serve hard time and they stay put for years and years on end. The question remains, however, how do these individuals manage to find themselves in these situations, and yet come out without incident. In nearly every case, celebrities that are sentenced to prison, even doing hard time, manage to leave and survive. Even those that commit heinous crimes are spared from a lot of the things that the average joe may have to deal with. Or do they?
Not All Happy Endings
Before you assume that a celebrity is going to go into prison and enjoy a little relaxation, not every story is told. Sure, there are a lot of people that go to jail or prison and discuss what happens when they are out. However, some don’t. Some celebrities go in and come out changed, to the point where they either don’t work ever again or they just don’t talk about what happened to them within the walls. Some have even found a way to disappear from family and friends overall. Even though there are situations that you may have heard about from stories, and news media, you never know everything that happens to these people. That doesn’t mean that they don’t get on with their lives, but they are certainly forever changed.
No Special Treatment
First and foremost, you have to realize that not every celebrity gets special treatment. There are some individuals that have been famous and done things that made them go straight to prison. For instance, there is the story of Mark Anthony Rogowski. Famous 1980s professional skateboarder, the next Tony Hawk in many ways. He was convicted of murder, and he is serving hard time, and doesn’t get the special treatment that you might expect from a premier athlete in extreme sports. The same can be said for people like O.J. Simpson and others that are now serving prison sentences without the luxuries that you may expect. With that in mind, people that have celebrity status and are not given special treatment, usually
What About The Movies?
Ok, well there are some that do in fact get special treatment. Is it like the movies? Well, it depends on the crime and it depends on the person that is going into the correctional facilities out there. You’re going to have a hard time finding an A list celebrity that is going to be doing hard time. This is especially true for today’s top celebrities. In fact, you may find that the average person in this category will leave the country and perhaps not ever return. As for those that do in fact get in trouble and are sent to prison, they are given a few liberties that the average person doesn’t get. They get a “suite” of sorts. For instance, Martha Stewart didn’t serve on a cell that has murderers and rapists. She served in a prison that is much more calm, and quiet to say the least. These celebrities maintain their status inside, as people are more likely to want to meet them than to beat them up or hurt them. The movies are right in that regards.
What About Hard Time?
There are some individuals that get famous and have served hard time. Danny Trejo, for instance, has spoken at length about this. There are others out there that have served time in prison, and county jail and change their lives after they serve their time. The ones that are famous going in, usually spend time in minimal security or with people that aren’t going to hurt them. This option is evidenced through books like “I Was Wrong” by Jim Bakker. Bakker was sent to prison for fraud, bilking millions of dollars from people that would send his televangelist ministry money. That happened in the 1980s. In his detailed book, he talks about the loneliness and mental stress of jail, but at the same time, he wasn’t treated in a manner that was extreme or violent. The inmates like him, and he didn’t exactly serve max.
The Reality of Prison
Celebrities that go to prison are let out early because of health reasons, mental stress, and because they have the money. Finances can change the course of your jail time, especially if you have a high powered attorney. Not only that, they can afford bail, and other elements that the average individual cannot afford. Aside from status alone, money talks in the world of the criminal justice system. The average joe is not going to be able to afford a lawyer, and will most likely go with the public defender. Public defenders can do a great deal of work, but are not likely to get a person off from a prison sentence or anything like that. Chances are you will do hard time.
Survival of celebrities in prison is due in large part to status and money. Even then, they do their time with loneliness, fatigue, mental anguish, and much more. They are human beings, no doubt, but they are not treated like the average person. That’s assuming that they didn’t commit atrocious crimes. Now, if a celebrity does in fact murder, and goes to prison, chances are their status only goes so far, simple as that. Simply put, they survive because they have money, otherwise their survival rates would be a bit harder to manage and detail. The average person can’t emulate what celebrities can do in regards to prison and jail sentences, simple as that. It’s just a money problem more than anything else.
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