I’ve briefly touched on the subject of Lindsay Lohan’s roller coaster ride through apparent sobriety and…what’s a good antonym for sobriety? Intoxication? Drunkeness? Whatever – you get the point. She’s had her highs and lows over the past few years and, after her DUI arrest in 2007, spent a little over an hour in jail and was placed on three years of probation – probation that carried the requirement of having to attend 86 alcohol education classes.

Friday, Lindsay Lohan appeared in court to get an extension on her probationary period in order to fulfill that alcohol education requirement. It seems that, even though she had nearly three years to do it, she was unable to attend each of the 86 classes because, as her lawyer put it, her work schedule kept her “extremely busy” (an extremely busy work schedule that had already played a role in Lohan getting an approved leave of absence from California for work-related reasons – a leave of absence she apparently thought extended far longer than it did as she failed to resume her classes upon returning to California).

The legal ramifications of driving under the influence depend on the state in which the offense occurs and the offense number. After putting her in jail for 84 minutes, California decided to place Lohan on probation for a three-year period – a three-year period in which she was supposed to complete 86 alcohol education classes. During that time, she failed to meet her probation requirements, and so L.A. Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel granted an extra year to do so.

Out here in the noncelebrity world, failing to meet one’s probation requirements – especially after having several years to do so – isn’t all that easily forgiven by judges. It happens, but it’s not all that common – especially when the offense is related to substance abuse and even more especially when the offense is related to substance abuse that leads the abuser to endangering the lives of others.

You know, like driving under the influence.

If Lindsay Lohan lived where I live – and wasn’t, you know, Lindsay Lohan – and hadn’t met her probation requirements during the three-year window she was given to do so, she probably wouldn’t have been given an extra year to complete them. She’d probably be enrolled in a rehabilitation program (something a bit more involved than substance abuse classes), an intensive supervision program like Drug Court (California has it – I checked), or she’d be sitting in jail right now.

Is California giving Lindsay Lohan special treatment? Maybe because of her celebrity status? And, if so, what kind of message is that sending to other celebrities? To impressionable children? Even if it’s not – even if California is granting her this extra time simply because it wants to give her the benefit of the doubt – is any of this really helping her?

At what point should the state say, “No, Ms. Lohan. You screwed up. You were given a break, and then you screwed that up too. Now it’s not only get get some help, but to learn a little responsibility as well.”

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PsychCentral (October 17, 2009)

Derrick Love (October 18, 2009)

    Last reviewed: 17 Oct 2009