Being a celebrity carries numerous perks. They get to clubs and other exclusive events easily without ever getting in line. Celebrities often get invited to free product testing and have access to items common mortals do not. Among other things, you rarely see a celebrity incarcerated for a crime.
“Besides having lots of money, celebrities also enjoy favorable bias,” explains Fianzas, a renowned agencia de fianzas focusing on the Hispanic population in Florida. According to experts from this company, these individuals rarely end up in prison as judges don’t want to have their reputation tarnished by incarcerating a pop culture icon.
To make things even better, celebrities usually enjoy advanced facilities, which aren’t available to the general population. Given that most of them are well off, they have the money to post the bail, so they don’t have to wait for the court hearings in a cell.
5 Reasons Why Celebrities Get Off Easy
As you can presume, having the money to hire the best lawyers is one of the main reasons why celebrities rarely end up in jail. However, there are also other, less tangible reasons why they get off the hook:
Fast Bail
Celebrities rarely spend more than several hours in a county jail. As soon as they can use the phone, they contact one of their friends or relatives to bail them out. In many cases, they’re already at home when the news breaks out of their arrest.
While posting a fast bail is fantastic for getting a person out of a pinch, it does nothing to prevent repeat offenses. Many celebrities end up in jail again, as they haven’t learned their lesson the first time. To make matters worse, their elite status makes the entire situation more of a nuisance than a threat to their freedom and well-being.
Easy Settlements
Money is not only valuable during bail, but can also provide assistance in some other situations. For example, some officers are willing to provide celebrities with preferential treatment for bribes. However, this practice is less common nowadays, given that everyone’s wearing a camera.
A more tangible advantage of money comes in the form of settlements. If you injure someone in traffic or in some other situation, you can always compensate the person for a huge amount of money. That way, you don’t have to drag yourself around the courts and risk a more severe punishment.
In the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of sexual harassment cases that ended in a settlement. In these situations, celebrities escape punishment as well as media hype. Given that everything’s done behind closed doors, both sides are usually reluctant to talk to the press, which ends up favoring celebrities and their status.
Reduced Sentences
There are numerous cases where celebrities received significantly lower sentences just because they’re famous. In many situations, judges would put them on probation with lenient conditions compared to the crime.
To make things even better for celebrities, the vast amount of money they possess makes it easier to reintegrate into society. As soon as they come back, they have resources that will help them start a new business or create some other opportunities. The same can’t be said for a common person who is stained for life with the misdeed.
Sentence Bias
In many cases, celebrities don’t even go to jail. This is especially true in cases where the evidence is inconclusive; juries and judges simply give them the benefit of the doubt, unlike common folks.
The chance of avoiding sentence is very high when it comes to serious crimes such as homicide. These cases are usually followed by lots of media coverage, which might affect the jury’s decision. As more and more fans flock in the defense of their favorite celebrity, jurors become reluctant to sentence them for the misdeed.
However, there are also rare cases where this type of bias can go against the celebrity. If a person has gained a reputation as a “bad boy,” the jury might perceive them with different eyes. As ridiculous as it might sound, people who often portray villains in movies are more likely to get sentenced.
Expensive Defense
Of course, when you’re rich, you don’t have to worry about lawyers’ fees. Celebrities can gather the best legal team money to help them avoid just about any crime. That, coupled with other forms of biases, is the reason why these people are acquitted at such a high rate.
Conclusion
Even if a celebrity gets arrested, that doesn’t mean they will get punished for it. Famous individuals have seamlessly unlimited resources that they can utilize to post bail, hire the best lawyers, and settle things outside of the court. On top of that, they can also count on the jury’s and judge’s favorable decisions.