Celeb Justice: The Exception or the Rule?

Aug. 25, 2007 — -- Jail was a revolving door for Nicole Richie, who served 82 minutes for driving under the influence.

Lindsay Lohan received a one day sentence after pleading guilty to drinking and driving.

What's more, they were second offenses for both Richie and Lohan.

And while Paris Hilton ended up serving her time for a drunk driving-related arrest, many believe she received special treatment when she initially was released after just four days.

Some say they're getting off easy, but as it turns out, drunk driving sentences across the country may be more lenient than many think.

US Weekly's Ian Drew said that it's Hollywood that is out-of-control, enabling these starlets.

"The society in Hollywood is so enabling, they're given free drinks in order to keep going to the clubs," Drew said. "The temptation is there because the door is wide open."

But beyond the paparazzi and the flashbulbs, the celebrity offenders have one thing in common, critics say: They not only risked their own lives by driving drunk -- they put others at risk, too.

"When they go out again and again, they make a choice," said Connie Beard of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. "And when they're going out and making that choice, they're making their car a deadly weapon."

Beard's 21-year-old son Matthew was killed by a drunk driver, and she is appalled by the dangerous decisions of these Hollywood starlets.

"They get out there in their cars, and they know that they have no right to get behind the wheel," she said, "and they have total disregard for anyone else's life."

Beard wants to see stiffer sentences. After all, legal experts say, famous or not, getting off easy is the norm across the country when it comes to driving under the influence.

"If you really want to deter this conduct, they're going to have to make the penalty part more serious," said Mary Fulginiti, ABC News' legal correspondent. "You can have three D.U.I.'s in the state of California and it's still not a felony. So it's really a little outrageous, and things do need to change."