Speedy prison "justice" for Nicole Richie

This Los Angeles Times story about Nicole Richie's minutes in prison provies perhaps a fitting issue for Friday commentary.  Here are the baics:

Now that's what you call fast service.  Reality TV star Nicole Richie was released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after serving just 82 minutes of her four-day sentence for driving under the influence of drugs. Richie reported to the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood at 3:15 p.m. After being processed, sheriff's officials released her at 4:37 p.m.

Authorities said her sentence was radically cut under guidelines the Sheriff's Department uses to deal with chronic overcrowding in its jail system.  The county is under a federal order to reduce overcrowding, resulting in the release of thousands of inmates who serve just a fraction of their sentences....

Undersheriff Larry Waldie, second in command at the department, said Richie was treated like any other female inmate.  "The reality of overcrowding is that would have happened to any female inmate with a 96-hour sentence," he said. "They were told to treat her like any other inmate, and that is what happened here."

Officials said a nonviolent woman sentenced to less than 30 days in jail typically serves less than 12 hours. In 2006, actress Michelle Rodriguez received a 60-day sentence for violating probation and was out after four hours and 20 minutes because of jail overcrowding.  Over the last five years, more than 200,000 inmates have been released early because of overcrowding in county jails.