PARIS' JAIL LESSONS COULD LEAD TO HELPING OTHERS

Paris Hilton is free. Hooray! Sometimes it takes a traumatic
experience to awaken the hidden self. The 23 days she spent at the
Century Regional Detention Facility was far short of doing "hard time."

But it did give her a taste of life in the gulag. In that short time,
I gather she felt the reality of what it's like to lose your life as
you know it. Sitting in a small cell can be a most existential
existence - I'm sure Hilton saw the light.

There is something mystical about spending time in a cage. Since there
is nowhere to go, you pace the perimeter of your cell. Back and forth
or around in circles, all the while reliving the crime you committed
that brought you there.

When it gets really bad, you start reading the Bible and praying to
the Lord for forgiveness. For sure, Hilton has learned her lesson - or
has she?

The problem she will now face as an ex-con is one that all ex-cons
experience, and one that can lead them down the road to recidivism.
For the most part, when you are released you want to forget the prison
experience. You do your best to block it out. In her case, I would bet
that in a week those feelings she has built up inside her brought on
by her longing for her freedom will disappear.

How do I know? I did a 12-year stretch at Sing Sing, and the first day
I got out I almost completely forgot all the feelings I had. I forgot
about how my existence was reduced to daily routines and calculations.
I forgot about measuring time in reference to the day at hand and the
functions associated with it - the head counts and bells that the
prison used to maintain security and order.

So, for sure, those 23 days will not mean much unless she is doing
something to remind her of her experience.

Hilton should follow up with her talk that she wants to find meaning
in her life. Because her jail time came from her arrest on a charge of
driving with a suspended license after a previous drunk-driving
arrest, it would be appropriate if Hilton now explored the subject of
drugs and addiction. She would have a great opportunity to become a
noted spokeswoman for those less fortunate. Think of how many lives
she could save.

But let's not kid ourselves too much. Hilton comes from the part of
the privileged class that most of the time has justice applied in a
kinder fashion. She probably will go back to her home and drown
herself in its lush surroundings and surely forget all about the time
she did.

I just hope Hilton keeps a memory of the redemption and forgiveness
she sought while sitting in her cell. Maybe then it will compel her to
use her fame for the good of society.