Lindsay Lohan heads to jail: Harsh treatment or help at last?

"Helicopter parents" too often smooth things over for their children, even up to dealings with professors and employers, says Ms. Mandell, imprinting undeserved self-esteem. In these cases, "failure can be a potent teaching moment," she says.

“Lindsay manipulated the legal system and took advantage of the judge’s leniency – she made a mockery of court instructions. She acted out because she wants everyone to see her in the spotlight – her life has become her movie," says Mandell.

Jail time isn't the right answer for celebrities who act out, says Paul Levinson, a professor of communication and media studies at Fordham University in New York. He says he doesn't think Lohan should necessarily be going to jail.

“When you have these stars with personal behavioral problems and prosecute them to the full extent of the law, you are turning jails into some kind of social corrector. What she needs is counseling and psychological help, but there is a tendency in our legal system to make examples out of people.”

Jail time had a positive effect on socialite and reality TV star Paris Hilton, helping her stay mostly out of trouble, and it can be the best thing that ever happened to Lohan, argues Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a prominent author who has advised celebrities including Michael Jackson.

“Sadly, we live in an age when parents are failing their children and the culture is failing its constituents, and the only people who are left to be mature adults are judges and police,” says Rabbi Boteach, who was named by Newsweek as one of the 10 most influential rabbis in America.

“When it comes to people like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton – these are not wicked, evil people,” says Boteach. “Rather their sins are self-annihilation, and we as a society have to step in and help save them. This judge has been an angel of mercy by sending Lohan to jail. This is a lifesaving mission. She is saving a life.”

Related:

• Blog: When a judge must correct young celebrities like Lindsay Lohan
• Lindsay Lohan: 'Entourage' culture undermines essential values
• Paris Hilton: Is justice also served for the rich and famous?

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