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You wake up peacefully and begin your day without looking at social media.
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Instead, it's straight to the gym to do your daily workout.
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After that, you'll probably just spend the day reading and meditating.
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No, we're not describing a personal development retreat.
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We're talking about a day in a cushy, low-security prison in the United States.
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That's right.
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Another day, another prison video from the Infographics Show.
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You didn't really think we were finished talking about life behind bars, did you?
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But this time, you're not just another Tom, Dick, or Harry whose tragic turn of events
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in life led to them being locked away in a dangerous prison.
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Nope, now you're an A-list prisoner convicted for a white-collar crime.
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That's the name given to the non-violent crimes typically committed by the middle classes
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and other powerful individuals.
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In this case, you might be able to skip the orange overalls and the regimented daily routines/
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But don't look too eager for your social media detox.
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Being rich and famous is no guarantee that you'll have it easy on the inside.
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You'll still need to eat gross food, work for a few cents an hour, and get by with minimum
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contact with your loved ones.
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But it does mean you'll have the resources to pay for a private prison consultant to
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help you fit in and keep your affairs in order whilst you're away.
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If you don't know what a prison consultant is, you're either not middle class enough
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or not enough of a criminal.
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Prison consultants help their clients to blend into prisons and avoid getting into trouble.
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Presumably, they offer stellar advice such as not dropping the soap.
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Sorry, we had to make that joke once, and you know it.
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Some of these consultants for the incarcerated ask for six-figure salaries.
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Let's see how big celebrities like Bill Cosby, Robert Downey Junior and Paris Hilton
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have fared in prison.
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Martha Stewart was a celebrity cook and domestic goddess.
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A businesswoman, a television personality, a writer – all the usual jazz.
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But she's now also very well known for being found guilty of insider trading.
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Basically, she lied about the price of a stock.
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And if that's not a shining example of white-collar crime, then I don't know what is.
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Stewart was sent to the Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, Western Virginia for five months,
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a minimum-security prison camp.
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As things go, she got a pretty good deal.
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Federal prison camps are where people who've been convicted for their first nonviolent
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crime get sent.
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They have the best on-site amenities and facilities.
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With classes in yoga, fitness, aerobics, cosmetology, and stress relief, Alderson was no exception.
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Built in 1928, Alderson was the first federal prison for women in the US.
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The 159-acre minimum security grounds near Greenbrier State Forest contain cottages and
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unfenced grounds and the place follows principles of reformation.
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The jazz singer Billie Holiday was also a past inmate after getting arrested for drug
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possession.
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After the morning count, inmates are free to wander the vast grounds as long as they
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sign out properly and return by 4 pm.
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Alternatively, they might choose to visit the television room, library, chapel, or education
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building, where they can pursue various apprenticeship programs.
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The security in the institution is so low that one prisoner, Lynette Fromme, escaped.
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By the looks of things, Martha's time in Alderson was a breeze.
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She started yoga classes, which is possibly the most white-collar thing ever.
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And when she wasn't practicing her downward dog, she was replying to emails from her fans
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– she received 15,000 of them in her first month alone.
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It must have been a tough way to pass the time.
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But although her time there sounds cushy on paper, Stewart herself said that she found
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the experience horrifying and disturbing.
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Although it was a minimum-security prison, she still had to deal with guards and take
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part in hard labor.
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Now for a prison that is possibly even posher than Alderson.
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You might have heard of Felicity Huffman.
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The actress became infamous in 2019 after paying a scammer to do some funny business
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and help her daughter get into a prestigious college.
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As a result, she was sent to prison.
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The prison in question was the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, another institution
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viewed by many as being a cushy option.
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Located in the Bay Area of California, it's known as Chateau Dublin.
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And you're about to find out why.
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If you thought yoga classes were extra, you haven't heard anything yet.
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Chateau Dublin contains gardens, tennis courts, knitting classes, and meditation courses.
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Inmates can wander around as they like, wear what they want, and they even have plenty
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of choice over what food they can order.
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In the private rooms of the inmates, they have access to television and internet access.
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Are we the only ones feeling cheated for slumming it when we could be living rent-free in a
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luxurious prison?
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The cushy reputation of the place is so extreme that a warden who works there had to point
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out that it isn't, in fact, a resort and prisoners go there to be punished.
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But honestly, the fact he even had to say that just makes me more suspicious.
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When it comes to rich and powerful prisoners, you'd struggle to find someone with more
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status than a previous lawyer to the president.
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Michael Cohen was arrested in late 2018 after being found guilty of tax evasion, making
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false financial statements, and violations of campaign finance.
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But Cohen saw the silver lining of the situation, claiming he'd already been living in personal
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and mental incarceration by working under Trump, so prison would bring back his freedom.
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That's quite the dig.
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He was placed in FCI Otisville near New York City, which is often viewed as a preferable
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prison for white-collar crimes.
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Forbes named it one of America's cushiest prisons back in 2009.
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Bernard Madoff specifically requested to be sent there after he admitted to running a
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criminal Ponzi scheme, but his request was sadly rejected.
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The medium-security institution is made up of two parts: a detention center with stricter
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rules, and a satellite camp where life is good.
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Cohen was in the satellite camp.
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To make sure the men there don't get bored, there's a wide range of recreational activities
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and sports to take part in.
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These include horseshoes, weights, bocce ball, a basketball court, a handball court, a tennis
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area, and a baseball field.
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From the sounds of things, Cohen had the time of his life there.
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His attorney said he got a tan, lost more than 30 pounds, was able to destress, and
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even started writing a book.
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He also got a nice job repairing fire hydrants, which was probably a lot less stressful than
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covering up the scandals of the President, and made plenty of friends.
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Turns out lots of the inmates were looking for some good legal advice and were also curious
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to know about Cohen's experiences involving Trump and Stormy Daniels.
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He got the nickname Mr. Mayor in prison and was treated by many as a celebrity.
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But no discussion of luxurious prisons would be complete without Ford Dix, a low-security
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federal prison often known as 'Club Fed' and one of the most famous white-collar prisons.
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Past inmates include Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member Joe Giudice and Martin
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Shkreli, who was arrested for the multimillion-dollar fraud involving hiking the price of an AIDS
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drug.
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The low-security federal prison contains 4,000 inmates, who they trust to show responsibility.
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That means no bars, no towers, and no locks on rooms in community units.
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Just like Cohen's prison, FCI Otisville, there are plenty of sporting facilities on
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offer.
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Gym equipment, racquetball courts, volleyball, bocce ball lanes, pool tables, you name it.
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Oh, and you can also take part in hobby crafts or go to the music room.
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Seriously though, what is it with the bocce ball?
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Since when did anyone under the age of seventy play this and why is it seemingly the sport
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of choice in male prisons?
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As far as celebrities go, being the world's highest-paid actor at one point in time is
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a pretty big flex.
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How would someone as famous as Bill Cosby fair in prison?
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Cosby was arrested for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman.
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Obviously, this is a pretty serious crime, so the cushy minimum-security institutions
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weren't going to cut it.
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Instead, he was sent to the Phoenix State Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania in
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2018 – maximum-security prison.
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But still, they wouldn't just put him in any old maximum-security prison.
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The place Cosby was sent to is known as being the newest and most expensive prison in Pennsylvania
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– in fact, some call it state-of-the art.
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But don't get excited thinking this state-of-the-art prison is full of thought-provoking murals
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or cutting-edge architectural structures.
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Not quite.
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You'll find barbed wire fences, walkways, and exercise yards.
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As a bonus, Cosby was given the privilege of a private cell adjacent to the infirmary
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– the few cells like this are usually reserved for those with life sentences.
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But due to the attention they might attract, celebrities are usually given private rooms
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and a chance to settle in before they're released to the general population.
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Cosby's cell included a small metal bed, tiny metal closet, personal metal table, small
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metal toilet, and a sink made out of – yep, you guessed it – metal.
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So state-of-the art.
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The cell was also air-conditioned and he had the chance to buy a radio, tablet, and TV.
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All in all, it sounds pretty good.
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There's no evidence of tennis courts or games of bocce here, but there are a few perks.
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There are educational, vocational, and recreational programs, plus the opportunity to work or
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go to the gym.
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Bizarrely, there have been rumors about Cosby getting into fights with other inmates, including
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one involving someone throwing a chicken patty or banana at his face.
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However, Cosby's team has denied this – it must be nice to have someone taking care of
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your PR whilst you're locked away.
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Anyhow, it now seems like Cosby is having a good time.
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Apparently, he's made a name for himself by making motivational speeches and has also
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lost a lot of weight.
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But now let's take a look at some celebrities who didn't have it so easy, starting with
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none other than Paris Hilton.
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Ah, Paris Hilton.
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She certainly had a wild decade in the noughties, the peak of which saw her
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sent to jail in 2007 for 23 days after violating the probation for her DUI charge.
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What happened after that is kind of confusing and a bit of a mess.
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First, Paris was sent to the Century Regional Detention Facility in Los Angeles.
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But due to an undisclosed medical condition that was probably mental health-related, she
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ended up being moved to monitored house arrest instead.
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For obvious reasons, this looked sort of bad, and the law enforcement didn't want to be
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seen to go easy on a celebrity.
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So, Paris was then asked to appear in court and moved back into jail.
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Madness.
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And then she ended up only serving half of her sentence anyway because of overcrowding
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in the prison and her good behavior.
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Talk about a rollercoaster ride!
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Many say Paris was made an example of to show that celebrities aren't above the law.
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So, maybe being a celebrity doesn't always guarantee you a great time in prison.
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Who knew.
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But she was able to see the bright side, saying that prison was an experience of self-actualization
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that helped her to gain more compassion.
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It also helped her secure plenty of post-jail interviews when she came out, which must have
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softened the blow.
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And now for a guy who definitely served his time.
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He may have put it behind him now, but Robert Downey Junior has a rough history.
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He was arrested for substance abuse issues in his youth and sent to a Los Angeles jail
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for 113 days over 1997 and 1998.
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Because of his sentence, Downey was sent to the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility
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and State Prison, a minimum to moderate security center found in the middle of the dry Californian
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desert.
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He might not have been staying in a particularly tough facility himself, but it was next door
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to a maximum-security prison that held Charles Manson at the time.
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In an interview with Vanity Fair, Downing admitted feeling shocked to find out what
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the prison was like when he arrived in shackles and saw a guard's tower.
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I'm sure having Vanity Fair turn up regularly to interview him did wonders for his street
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cred in prison, too.
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Other cellmates often accused the staff of serving him bigger portions or tried to target
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him for his wealth, but he tried his best to fit in.
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He was so committed to just being one of the lads that he offered to sleep in the top bunk!
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Another celebrity that had it tough is Suge Knight, the music executive and CEO of Death
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Row Records.
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Suge had plenty of altercations with the law but was arrested in connection with a hit-and-run
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death in 2015.
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As you can imagine, that didn't exactly land him in the best prison in the country.
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Knight was held in solitary confinement and banned from phone calls and visitors.
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He claimed law enforcement officers were listening in on his meetings with lawyers.
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But also, two of the 15 attorneys he hired were witness tampering, so are you surprised?
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And don't even get me started on why he had that many attorneys in the first place.
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Knight suffered ongoing health issues whilst he was locked up and blamed prison conditions.
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His son also claimed that prison staff were mistreating his father and trying to break
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his spirit.
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So, did he have it tough, or was he just a handful and trying to cheat his way out of
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prison?
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Now go check out our videos on roughing it out in Guantanamo Bay and insane facts about
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prison.