# Lindsay Lohan - why isn't she in prison? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426 "2013-05-03T16:35:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/1 "2013-05-03T16:35:39Z")
I am not much of a Hoolywood Gossip watcher, but noticed that good old Lindsay is headed back to rehab after violating her parole (yet agsin) by leaving her last rehab center without permission. I know stars and public figures get treated differently than the average Joe or Jane, but when is enough enough? This is not a person with a small blemish on her record. She is a Hollywood punch line. She is one of the worst repeaters of drug use in the history of Hollywood, at least since they’ve started keeping track of such things. I never thought Robert Downey Jr, would be surpassed, but he actually seems to have gotten his shit together and has a career now, which is more than anyone can say about Lohan. Why anyone would hire her now, with her history of drug use and abuse is beyond me. And it’s not like she has talent dripping off of her; the last thing most people remember her doing a nice job in was “The Parent Trap”, and that had to be close to 10 years ago. Anyway, my question is, why hasn’t she just been locked up? Is it because she can actually pay the rehab bill? Because whatever they do in the rehab facilities she goes to, it’s not working. Maybe a two or three year stint in prison, where she won’t be able to just walk away or obtain drugs without risking further punishment or jail time would finally get her clean and sober. I believe this is what finally turned Downey around, the TV time in a jump suit and hand cuffs, and going to jail for a stretch. And I’m glad he’s back on track, because his life was headed for an abrupt and painful end. Clearly, IMO, she isn’t getting the help she needs, and she is headed for a coffin. She has broken her parole, so why don’t they just lock her up and let her get her act together? She is still being punished like a spoiled child, who is always told she has just “one more chance” but it turns out that the “one more chance” is continually repeated. It is a joke to her, and she knows it. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/2 "2013-05-03T16:37:16Z")
she was good in “Mean Girls” and that was only 9 years ago ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/3 "2013-05-03T16:50:46Z")
I agree that she should be locked up for her own good, but the current situation is in flux. Turns out the rehab facility she reported to isn’t licensed by the state, so it can’t give alcohol/drug rehab. So why be there? ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/4 "2013-05-03T16:51:08Z")
And “The Parent Trap” was '98, so that’s nearly 15 years back now! ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/5 "2013-05-03T16:56:01Z")
She’s a rich white woman. Why would she be in jail? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/6 "2013-05-03T16:58:25Z")
It’s basically a race at this point to her either getting help or killing herself (or someone else). Putting her in jail is a non-starter with the crowded prison system; she’s a nuisance to the courts, but hasn’t done anything serious enough to wind up in the penal system. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/7 "2013-05-03T17:00:08Z")
California is extremely short on prison space. The governor is on the verge of being cited for contempt of court because of it. Non-serious, non-violent offenders aren’t going to be spending much time in jail. That said, even a few nights in lock up couldn’t hurt her. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/8 "2013-05-03T17:00:27Z")
I believe her next rehab is lockdown, she cannot just walk out of it. Not prison, but it’s close. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/9 "2013-05-03T17:01:11Z")
Yeah, when I look at Lohan not being in jail and who is in jail it is unfair. But my response isn’t so much “Why isn’t Lindsay Lohan in jail” so much as “why are all those other people in jail?” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/10 "2013-05-03T17:01:20Z")
Betty Ford, actually. She reported there late last night. Curse you all for making me know that. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/11 "2013-05-03T17:04:46Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > She’s a rich white woman. Why would she be in jail? A rich, **attractive** , white woman. A better question might be, how many people would Lindsay need to murder before she could be jailed? I suspect that the judge figures it’s better to get her to pay for a stint in rehab than for the state to pay for her to sit in jail. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/12 "2013-05-03T17:12:30Z")
Eh, I don’t think she’s particularly unique in not doing jail time for a series of minor drug offences. As others mentioned the CA prison system isn’t exactly crying out for more prisoners. If she were a poor, ugly hispanic woman with the same record, I’m not sure the outcome would be any different. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/13 "2013-05-03T17:15:27Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Eh, I don’t think she’s particularly unique in not doing jail time for a series of minor drug offences. Aren’t those minor drug offenses partially why the prisons are so overloaded? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/14 "2013-05-03T17:22:09Z")
Has anyone put together a list of what she’s been charged with, what she’s been convicted of, and what the penalties have been? That would be amusing to read. She’s been accused of theft more than once, right? Multiple DUIs? Multiple drug possessions? Multiple parole violations? At least one contempt of court? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/15 "2013-05-03T18:27:14Z")
Here’s a [timeline of her arrests](http://www.eonline.com/news/367020/lindsay-lohan-a-timeline-of-all-her-arrests-and-boy-there-are-a-lot-of-em). It looks like they are almost all drug and vehicle offenses, and then charges for not obeying the court orders resulting from those offenses. She also has one theft charge and apparently a few recent assault charges. The list only goes up to her Nov. 29, 2012 arrest, so it is clearly incomplete. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/16 "2013-05-03T18:36:18Z")
She’s famous, but my understanding is she’s not rich and is notorious for not paying bills. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/17 "2013-05-03T18:40:54Z")
If she wasn’t famous this stuff wouldn’t have amounted to much, probation and community service maybe, if that much. However, without all the scrutiny she would have had more arrests by now and be locked up anyway. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/18 "2013-05-03T19:08:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > She’s famous, but my understanding is she’s not rich and is notorious for not paying bills. My internet-rumor-site reading of Lindsay Lohan news backs this up. She apparently spends much of her time mooching off of rich “friends”. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/19 "2013-05-03T19:11:35Z")
I can’t find the site, but I read that one problem is that they can’t just toss her (or any celebrity) into jail without special considerations because it would cause too many problems. You either have to pay a lot more $$$ to ensure that celebrities stay safe; or risk them getting injured by someone wanting to make a name for themselves. It’s a no win situation. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426/20 "2013-05-03T19:42:33Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > I can’t find the site, but I read that one problem is that they can’t just toss her (or any celebrity) into jail without special considerations because it would cause too many problems. You either have to pay a lot more $$$ to ensure that celebrities stay safe; or risk them getting injured by someone wanting to make a name for themselves. It’s a no win situation. This I can believe. However, judging by her arrest record, the woman is a menace. And god forbid, she ever kills someone if she’s driving while under the influence. I imagine the lawsuits on the state of California would fly. Doesn’t California have a very strict three strikes law, which is a large part of the cause of overcrowding? I don’t know… Although I agree the crimes on their own aren’t the list of a Green River Killer, they still indicate a defective personality with no signs of correction. A non-famous person would never be out on the street with her arrest record (well, maybe they would, I don’t live in California). I would hate to hear that she’s killed someone on one of her binges. If she kills herself, I guess that’s her choice, and if she can’t conquer her demons, that’s the way this ends. But if she takes an innocent person with her, I will be very mad that the “system” didn’t have an answer for her. Hollywood rakes in enough money to pay for and provide a small prison… It would not be a gang filled place, but if one of the arguments is that a star in prison is more trouble than its worth, make the people that feed off the stars pay for their state time as a fee for doing business. Hollywood could easily afford it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lindsay-lohan-why-isnt-she-in-prison/657426.md?page=2)