# How is Charlie Sheen not in prison? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 29, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881 "2009-12-29T05:24:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/1 "2009-12-29T05:24:02Z")
> **[Charlie Sheen wife's 911 call released - CNN.com](https://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/28/charlie.sheen.911.call/index.html)** > > Aspen, Colorado, police have released a 911 recording from Charlie Sheen's wife, Brooke Mueller, who claims the actor threatened her life with a knife. In the call, Mueller identified herself as Brooke and said her problem was domestic abuse. Am I misremembering that this seems to happen every 3-4 years with this prick? Hasn’t he been picked up for assault a dozen times, several with weapons and most of the time against females? How has he managed to stay out of prison? I don’t get it. This piece of shit needs to do hard time. It’s time to hold him accountable for his tantrums. As an aside, why do women keep getting involved with him? WTF? ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/2 "2009-12-29T05:27:23Z")
> [@cubsfan](#): > > [http://www.cnn.com/2009/showbiz/tv/12/28/charlie.sheen.911.call/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2009/showbiz/tv/12/28/charlie.sheen.911.call/index.html) > > how has he managed to stay out of prison? **$$** > [@cubsfan](#): > > [http://www.cnn.com/2009/showbiz/tv/12/28/charlie.sheen.911.call/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2009/showbiz/tv/12/28/charlie.sheen.911.call/index.html) > > as an aside, why do women keep getting involved with him? Wtf? **$$** . ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/3 "2009-12-29T05:35:34Z")
Ah, so I must have missed the part where he was tried by a jury of his peers and found guilty. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/4 "2009-12-29T05:37:59Z")
Remember the whole point of bail is simple 1. To keep people from fleeing the country or state or location 2. Prevent them from being a danger to society OK on the first account Sheen is way too famous to flee. No matter where he goes someone would recognize him. In cases like this a judge can make it harder by requiring the person on bail to surrender their passport Sheen may be a danger to his wife, IF what he had claimed is true (she waffled on the story), but has he ever been a danger to the community? Or would he be just a danger to his wife? Again the court can add a restraining order if it feels needed as a conditon of the bond. It’s much cheaper to keep someone out of jail than to put them in and have all that expense. I worked for a temp agency and they put me in a bail bonds office doing office work. Most of the people, short of a murder charge, are eligible for bonding, but can’t come up with the cash. You also have to remember the more you’re arrested the higher the bond. Even if you were arrested and found “not guilty” it still is going to go against you at a bonding hearing. So year my money makes a difference. But a person who has been in and out of prison for 10 years is likely to get a much higher bond for a petty theft than a guy who has been newly in trouble for, say assult. Why? Because the crime is only one factor, other things come into play when the judge sets bond. And remember the conditons of bonding are set by a judge and can be revoked pretty much anytime at will. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/5 "2009-12-29T05:44:31Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Ah, so I must have missed the part where he was tried by a jury of his peers and found guilty. Of course. The question is “Why hasn’t he?” Sufficient proof seems to exist that these things happened, but, even if it didn’t, innocent people don’t often get accused of the same crime every few years. And the answered offered above is as good as any. If you have enough money, you can pay off the people that you hurt. Many victims just want their attackers to pay for their crime; they don’t care about the more altruistic principles of keeping them from doing it to other people. And, yes, the type of women Mr. Sheen would most likely be dealing with would be the type of people who value money over justice. They honestly think it is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/6 "2009-12-29T06:14:27Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Ah, so I must have missed the part where he was tried by a jury of his peers and found guilty. You’re right. Years and years of these same types of incidents be are all bullshit slander/framing/set-ups. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![mecaenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/91b2a8/32.png) [@mecaenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mecaenas)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/7 "2009-12-29T13:32:41Z")
Do you really have to ask? He’s a celebrity. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/8 "2009-12-29T14:37:58Z")
The real question is why have I seen a Hanes TV ad featuring Charlie Sheen and heard a radio ad for Hanes with his voice since the arrest? And by since the arrest I mean Monday for Christ’s sake. Isn’t the advertising agency supposed to have some sort of war council and pull all the ads so I don’t associate their brand with a man holding a knife to a woman’s throat? And just to be the first one, no, the Hanes ads were NOT for A-shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/9 "2009-12-29T14:51:30Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > You’re right. Years and years of these same types of incidents be are all bullshit slander/framing/set-ups. :rolleyes: This is a real question, since I don’t know - has he ever been convicted of an offense that would receive serious jail time? ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/10 "2009-12-29T14:56:29Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > You’re right. Years and years of these same types of incidents be are all bullshit slander/framing/set-ups. :rolleyes: How do you know it isn’t? I’m not saying he didn’t do it, but as a guy who’s been falsly accused of something himself, I can’t be 100%. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/11 "2009-12-29T15:14:56Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > You’re right. Years and years of these same types of incidents be are all bullshit slander/framing/set-ups. :rolleyes: Well this latest one is certainly starting to sound fishy. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/12 "2009-12-29T15:15:52Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > This is a real question, since I don’t know - has he ever been convicted of an offense that would receive serious jail time? No, never. In fact, every mention that Sheen is violent seems to be revealed long after the fact. > **[Charlie Sheen | Personal life](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Sheen#Personal_life)** > > Sheen has been married three times. He has five children and two grandchildren. > His oldest daughter is from a relationship with his former high school girlfriend, Paula Profit, whose name has also been given as Paula Speert. Through their daughter, Cassandra Estevez, Sheen has one granddaughter, named Luna. > In January 1990, Sheen's fiancée, Kelly Preston, was hit by shrapnel after a gun went off in their house. She broke off the engagement shortly thereafter. Preston always maintained that it ... ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/13 "2009-12-29T15:16:06Z")
> [@mecaenas](#): > > Do you really have to ask? > He’s a celebrity. Eh, I know plenty of non-celebrities that have had several minor domestic violence complaints filed against them (deservedly, in most cases, IMHO) and either weren’t convicted of anything or got slaps on the wrist. So long as you don’t do it in front of a bunch of witnesses, don’t do any serious harm to the other person and get a semi-competant lawyer, dodging major concequences in these cases doesn’t seem to be too hard, whether your Charlie Sheen or the local town drunk. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/14 "2009-12-29T15:16:59Z")
Maybe because his daddy was President. on tv ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/15 "2009-12-29T15:18:26Z")
Obviously, he should have stuck with hookers dressed as cheerleaders- they never went to the cops… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/16 "2009-12-29T18:36:44Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > And, yes, the type of women Mr. Sheen would most likely be dealing with would be the type of people who value money over justice. They honestly think it is worth it. There is also the type of women who think that their love is going to change the man into a better person. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/17 "2009-12-29T19:28:38Z")
Violence? I was unaware of previous violence charges. Drugs and prostitutes yes. He did shoot a NCO in Platoon, but this is the first I’ve heard that he was accused of violence. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/18 "2009-12-29T19:40:56Z")
I don’t remember violence either. Fromwhat I remember, and from the Wiki article, his biggest problems have been with drugs and infidelity, not with domestic violence. In any case, it isn’t a celebrity thing. Few people go to prison for domestic battery unless it involves serious injury or death. Lots of garden variety, trailer park wife beaters get arrested over and over again with no real consequences. It’s just not something that the public has decided it cares about taking seriously. They’d rather bust pot clubs. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/19 "2009-12-29T20:14:24Z")
I just looked up his wikipedia page. Denise Richards alleged threat of violence & apparently he accidentally shot then girlfriend kelly Preston. These are things that make you go “Hmmmm.” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881/20 "2009-12-29T20:37:43Z")
One accusation of a threat, and one accident (which I don’t believe Kelly Preston contested was an accident) do not add up to a history of violence. The alleged “threat of violence” is not good, but allegations made during acrimonious divorces should be taken with a grain of salt. My guess would be that Sheen is pretty much an asshole when he’s coked up or drunk, but I don’t see good evidence that he’s a batterer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-charlie-sheen-not-in-prison/522881.md?page=2)