I was reading this article about some of the media hoopla surrounding Paris Hilton and a thought came to mind: The taxpayers in southern California are probably going to end up spending more tax dollars to incarcerate Ms. Hilton than her crimes are worth.  She’s been convicted of alcohol-related reckless driving, and the process of convicting her of that crime and incarcerating her is likely to be several times what it would cost to do the same to a non-celebrity.

Mostly because a) Paris has legal teams that can make any routine criminal matter arduous and b) facilitating the media’s coverage of her conviction takes extra staffing, additional facilities, etc.

Granted, Paris’ crime is pretty serious, but one wonders if the taxpayers wouldn’t be better served had she just been let off the hook.  I don’t believe she should have been, personally, as we all must be treated equally under the law whether we have celebrity status or not.  But the costs associated with these sort of proceedings are nothing to be sneezed at.