Michael Douglas’ oldest son, Cameron, 34, was sentenced in 2010 to five years in federal prison for drug trafficking. Cameron, Douglas’ only child from his first marriage, was busted in a DEA sting trying to sell a pound and a half of crystal meth to an undercover agent. He was also caught sending meth through the mail, which is a federal offense as it involves interstate trafficking. The guy might have gotten off much easier, but while he was on house arrest he was caught with heroin, which his girlfriend had tried to slip him inside the battery compartment of an electric toothbrush. Then he was caught with drugs in prison earlier this year. (He had Xanax in his system and was caught with a Suboxone pill.) Cameron’s sentence was nearly doubled to 9 and a half years, which was close to the maximum he could have received for his original offenses.
So he was a mid-level dealer and an addict who thought he was above the law. His dad Michael Douglas thinks that Cameron got the book thrown at him because he’s famous. I disagree, the guy had many chances and he blew every one. I’ll get to that in a moment. Michael made these comments in an interview with New York Magazine. He’s promoting his role as Liberace in “Behind the Candelabra,” with Matt Damon playing his lover. That’s out May 26! I can’t wait. Here’s more:
On kissing Matt Damon and love scenes
“Once you get that first kiss in, you are comfortable. Matt and I didn’t rehearse the love scenes. We said, ‘Well – we’ve read the script, haven’t we?’ ”“The hardest thing … is that everybody is a judge. I don’t know the last time you murdered somebody or blew anyone’s brains out, but everyone has had sex and probably this morning, which means everyone has an opinion on how it should be done.”
On his son’s incarceration
“I have gone from being a very disappointed but loving father who felt his son got what was due him to realizing that Lady Justice’s blindfold is really slipping. I’m not defending Cameron as a drug dealer or drug addict, but I believe, because of his last name, he’s been made an example … When he had the ‘slip,’ I said, ‘You were two weeks away from starting your rehab program!’ But years of shooting up heroin screws up your system.”On dealing with cancer
“When I was ill, I mostly lay on that couch. I watched a lot of sports, anything where I didn’t know the ending … I did [miss working], but I was too weak to miss much of anything. I was stage four, and there is no stage five.”
[New York Magazine via People]
There’s more in the New York Magazine online story if you’re interested. I was impressed with how matter-of-fact Michael was about his cancer, and how he dealt with it. He said “That’s life. Things had been going good for me for a long time. I was ready for some karmic retribution.”
I get that he’s a protective dad (which surprises me because he has the reputation of being an absent father to Cameron) but his son was dealing meth. Cameron was originally sentenced to five years out of a maximum sentence of ten, which was due to the fact that he cooperated with prosecutors and named names. There was also talk that all the letters sent to the judge, from Michael, from Catherine Zeta-Jones, and from Cameron’s famous grandfather Kirk Douglas, had helped earn him a lenient sentence. If anything Cameron’s famous name helped him immensely. He screwed up his own life, and he continued to screw up in prison. It’s not like he was targeted because of his family. He was dealing meth and he did drugs in jail!
Cameron and Michael are shown in 2009
Sorry Michael but your excuse is cheap.
+1
Michael was a crap dad going by his open infidelity, his admitted drug use and his absenteesm. He is right though. Camerons sentence wasnt doubled for dealing in prison. It was doubled for using. Every recent study on drug addiction indicates that prison time is mostly inneffective in dealing with addictions. Your best hope is to get the inmate into a drug program with the threat of more time.
To double the sentence while aware of these facts requires a very conservative and cold blooded judge. Didnt Cameron have his leg broken in prison? I do think hes being harrassed and maybe shaken down in their because of his name.
Completely agree, Gelda. America’s justice system is in crisis right now – especially with prison overcrowding – due to the effects of so many addicts being incarcerated simply for drug related non-violent crimes. And this is not even considering the effects of the ‘drug war’ on countries in South America. I don’t know if Michael Douglas’s son was treated any differently because of his name – if anything his situation is similar to what happens to so many young people in America.
There are drugs in prisons, and usually inadequate facilities to help addicts recover – and so you have people leaving prisons who are often worse off when they are released then they are when they enter, and who for that reason, immediately breach parole conditions or commit another crime, and who then end up right back into an overcrowded, taxpayer funded jail. When is this situation going to end? And who is this benefiting?
Sorry, I still can’t muster up any sympathy. He made his own choices to get involved in drugs. He chose to continue using when he knew he was in trouble and being watched.
Lots of kids have absentee fathers. Lots of kids live in abusive homes and suffer terrible tragedies. They don’t all choose to use drugs to deal with their pain. It’s clear cut for me—if you do the crime, you do the time.
It’s not about sympathy for any individual – I don’t have sympathy for addicts either. It’s about the effects of these types of sentences – and these kinds of convictions – on our society. It boils down to the basic purposes of criminal justice.
People need to realize how expensive these types of sentences are – and it’s obviously American taxpayers paying for this stuff – and the burden these kinds of convictions place on the criminal justice system. And for what? As I said, most addicts are worse off when they are released compared to when they enter.
I also just read the article, and Cameron Douglas was also sentenced to 11 months in solitary confinement. I can’t believe that – 11 months with no human contact for a non-violent crime. There are countless studies showing the devastating impact of solitary confinement on mental health – it is basically a form of torture – and I can’t believe it has been imposed in this situation.
What is this person going to be like when he comes out? An important purpose of sentencing is rehabilitation – and this is is obviously to protect society as much as anything else.
In this case, with these types of sentences, the state could be actually creating more dangerous situations resulting from when addicts are released from such long periods of incarceration.
And I don’t see the point of making comparisons between people who screw up and people who do well, even after suffering harsh circumstances.
The reality is that obviously our world is not perfect, and that there will be people who screw up even if they are very privileged. That’s why we need a criminal justice system – to deal with people who screw up. The question is, is our criminal justice system, through the way it is being managed, helping our society or harming it?
I’d argue the latter, in the case of drug crimes.
ItsaReallyMe
Ya says it much better than I could. I will just reiterate how utterly pointless it is to stick a junkie with more time. Theres plenty of literature on this online please read up.
Also he got the lighter sentence not because of his family pleading with the judge but because he ratted on a drug cartel. The cartel then put a hit out on him. Hence the beating that left him with broken fingers and leg.
oh, don’t negate the privatized prisons that are earning BIG $$$ for the piggies…
low level ‘crimes’ being dealt prison sentences. hell, last year a philly judge was sent to prison for his part in sending kids to prison — just so he could make some extra money.
Have you considered the effects of drug dealing and drug use on countries in Latin America? It’s a system underpinned by violence and terror. I don’t have a lot of sympathy for privileged first-worlders contributing to the problem out of self-indulgence.
Ya, your argument hangs on whether the US justice system considers a jail sentence as punishment for a crime committed OR an opportunity for rehabilitation. I’m not American so I cannot speak to the intent of the law. Can anyone shed light on this? Is it written in your constitution or bill of rights? If its considered punishment for crime committed I don see how the government is required to ‘help’ the convicted criminal in their addiction, and further more if they break the law while in custody I don’t see the government showing any leniency. (Even if common sense and ethics would argue in the contrary).
Yes. I wanted to say, ” Then how does this name thing work with LaLohan?”
Cognitive dissonance.
He got off easy if u ask me. He is a chronic habitual drug crackhead L O s E R
If he really believes that he is in deep denial.
What utter crap. Sorry you are disappointed in your son but making excuses for him is probably what led to this revolting behaviour in the first place.
^this
Yes.
Yes it’s like he’s overcompensating for being an absentee parent. Yes you weren’t a good father but that doesn’t excuse your son for failing again and again to comply with the law. I have no sympathy for the son. He knew he was in trouble but he still smuggled drugs into prison.
If Cameron was in solitary confinement, he wouldn’t have gotten his leg broken. He’s with the other criminals and the leg wasn’t an accident. Someone ordered a hit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/cameron-douglas-attacked-prison-michael-douglas_n_2316677.html
For once, someone who’s ‘famous’ actually get’s held responsible for their actions and heaven forbid.
That being said, I will be watching ‘Behind the Candelabra’ just because. I’m interested. Can’t explain why.
I’ll tell you why we’re all so interested in this Liberace movie. It’s because we all wanted to know the real deal with Liberace. We grew up wondering wtf? All the old ladies who loved him were in denial he was gay and he never admitted anything but was out there anyway when nobody else was. Then we got a hint when his lover started talking to the tabloids but there was no internet so we’re all still wondering about all those years of closeted flamboyance.
Kind of like Elton John and Freddie Mercury? My mother-in-law is the most racist and homophobic person I know (the former has been a hurdle considering I’m black and their son, who I’m married to, is white) and she loves all both. Mention that they’re gay, she dismisses it but don’t let some random dude in the mall hold hands with his boyfriend.
I grew up knowing Liberace was gay, and wondering wtf about how society didn’t see it. Same with Freddie Mercury and Elton John — by the time I was cognizant of them, everyone knew they were not straight. I think Liberace is a really interesting figure and his life is a good window into one aspect of society in his time. Plus I love his overblown clothing and such.
MonicaQ- it’s pretty common for people to be very -ist in general but to make individual exceptions. So I can see someone who is homophobic in general still really liking someone who is openly gay. And the apparent “denial” just means it isn’t important to why they like them. I remember Liberace from way back when I was a kid and TV was live. Liberace was just Liberace to me, he was just his unique self. I never even thought about his sexuality or his lovers one way or another, it was really a non-issue. And not just because people felt the need to hide it back then. Not everybody focuses on that. After all, unless you’re looking for a mate, it doesn’t matter. Sex ain’t everything, although you might never know it from watching tv and movies. And there are loads of people who don’t fit the stereotypical Hollywood idea of how gay men and lesbians act. Likewise, there are people who get labeled as gay even though they’re not. People don’t fit so well into such little boxes and never really have.
Yeah, I really hate when parents make excuses for their children’s behavior. Cameron is a known druggie, dealer ect. It’s not like this was his only screw up and he got caught. I’d guess, purely assume on my part. That Cameron’s mishaps have been cleaned up for years, and that’s were his last name and money has helped.
He’s where he is because of breaking the law and being a massive druggie. Anyone with another last name would had gotten worse. Please don’t coddle him and make excuses for criminal behavior, Michael.
Well it doesn’t seem he could have gotten much worse as he is already serving near the maximum sentence for his crimes. However, I would say that is clearly due to his lack of ability to take advantage of the leniency initially given to him and not that he is being made an example of because his last name is Douglas.
My question is. What is an appropriate sentence for someone who is an addict? If someone is using, should they get locked up for years, or are they taking space from murders, ect? You have addict who need treatment and rehabilitation. Then you have chronic offender, like Lohan and Douglas. It’s a tough call. I guess for me, it’s when the public are at risk due to a person’s drug use.
I agree with you, aims. Plus everbody knows that there are drugs in prison, it’s not just him. Doesn’t make his behavior any better, but I don’t know if it’s the right choice to lock him up for five more years. He should go to rehab instead.
I disagree with putting people in prison for using drugs. I hate the whole drug war, it needs to stop, it’s destroying our justice system on every level.
But Michael Douglas isn’t doing his son any favors by defending him, either.
Emily, but Cameron wasn’t just a Hollywood kid using drugs, he was moving and selling drugs! Someone who is trying to ship drugs out of their house using the post office (while on house arrest) is just not getting it. He is a dealer, not just a kid caught doing some pot.
+1
He originally got half the maximum sentence (5 yrs instead of 10) because of all those letters written by Michael, Kirk and CZJ. Kirk especially wrote how he is old and would like to see his son more before he died. I read this from the latest Michael Douglas bio: Michael Douglas: A Biography by Marc Eliot.
The judge extended the sentence after he was caught smuggling drugs via the toothbrush.
He rode on his name until he ran out of options. I think the sentencing was fair considering other people with less resources got the maximum sentence from the get go.
I cannot deal with parents who are constantly in denial about their children’s problems. It’s just ridiculous that he believes the punishment has been too much, when his son pretty much blew every opportunity he had and he TRAFFICKED DRUGS. I’m sorry he’s had to deal with this while battling cancer (and Catherine’s constant break downs and trips
to mental institutions), but he’s so in denial now so he probably indirectly enabled his behavior early on by being in denial as soon as he discovered his son was an addict.
Why are parents so afraid of tough love? I’ve seen parents let their children get away with everything because they’re too scared to show them tough love. It’s the best thing you can do when you have a problematic son.
My cousins ex and the mom of his 7 year old daughter and 3 year old son was just sentenced for felony 2nd degree child abuse and 2nd degree assault. She has 2 previous assault convictions and one for child neglect. In mid September the truancy office called her and threatened her with legal action bc she hadn’t brought her daughter to school one day of the first few weeks of the new semester. So the next day she sent the daughter to her first day of 2nd grade, and within a half hour the little girl was sent to the nurses office after she had urinated on herself. Looking at her they could see she was filthy and appeared to have been wearing the same dirty clothes for some time, they didn’t have to stand close to her to smell that she reeked of stale urine, or see that her hair was all over the place and cut in an uneven pattern, but it wasn’t until the nurse helped the girl change her wet clothes that she noticed the different degrees of bruising, welt marks, and scabs covering her little body. At closer look, the nurse noticed that the little girl had make up on her face in a failed attempt to covered the bruises. She had a black eye, and different degrees of bruising to her forehead, cheek and jaw area. When the kids were examined and removed from their mother, they were found to be very malnourished and the boy was very behind where a three year old should be, but not bc of any disorder or illness. The little girl was found to be urinating out of fear, like an abused puppy. Within a few weeks of being removed from their mother the little girl had completely ceased having her “accidents” and the boy was not only potty trained but went from a few word vocabulary to actually speaking sentences. Their mother was sentenced last week, and she accepted a plea deal. She pledged guilty to the 2nd degree child abuse and 2nd degree assault was thrown out. Her sentence for the years of abuse and neglect her two beautiful children received? Three days time served and five years probation. Between this and the five year jail time a friend of mines attacker received, after he stabbed my friend, who was a complete stranger to him (it was over some girl), spilling his insides onto the street and very nearly killing him, I personally would have to say Cameron Douglas’s sentence was harsh, especially considering his biggest fault was being an addict.
That was an injustice. When I hear stories like that, and the little to no time the abusers serve drives me crazy. In cases like that when there are little victims involved, who didn’t choose or can’t protect themselves, being caused harm, makes.me sick. Those are the cases that should get locked up forever.
Please tell me they’re somewhere safe and NOT with her family?
I am a prosecutor and I don’t disagree with your analysis. It drives me up the wall that I am bound by the statutory provisions in place regarding sentencing of various crimes. I have always felt that it is a huge injustice that simple possession of narcotics often results in a lengthier sentence than assaults on children or animals. But prosecutors and judges don’t usually have much discretion regarding sentencing, because of the way the sentencing guidelines are written. I really wish that we (the general population) would get onto the legislation about redrafting these laws and guidelines. I have always felt that we are wasting time and money by throwing addicts in a prison environment where they are almost certainly going to leave prison as addicted, if not worse, then when they entered the prison. And then we’re constantly releasing violent predators early because of overcrowding. We wouldn’t have the overcrowding issues if we stopped throwing people in jail for drugs. And I’m not talking about drug trafficking; that’s an entirely different beast. I’m just talking about simple possession for personal use. You wouldn’t believe how many people are incarcerated for getting caught buying drugs or for getting busted with drugs and/or paraphernalia. And I may be a prosecutor, but you wouldn’t believe how many of my colleagues feel the exact same way.
I think his name has hurt him in that he really didn’t need to grow up because he had money at his disposal, and could just remain an irresponsible kid. I bet he was dealing drugs because his dad cut him off financially and he needed to maintain his habit and his lifestyle. It’s sad. Drugs can really screw up a family. That said he totally deserves the sentence he got.
The Vulture/NY Mag article has more on Cameron’s financial situation. Douglas said he knew Cameron was an addict when he was a teen and that he put him on an allowance into his adulthood. “Cameron had a minor allowance which provided for his living expenses, but it didn’t pay for shooting up heroin seven times a day.”
That makes sense. I think Michael Douglas made the choice a lot of parents make by giving enough money so their children at least have a roof over their heads, but not enough for their habit. And then that backfires (from what I’ve seen on Intervention) because without the worry of being homeless, the addicts are free to spend their entire time in pursuit of drugs.
Yes its horrible. And the worst part about this is the mother had threatened the daughter into claiming the bruises were the result of a tire swing accident, the same story the mother stuck to four 8 months, right up until accepting the plea. The child admitted within an hour of the discovery of the bruises all the beatings and neglect and torture shed received for years. What’s worse, a week after they took her kids, they realized she was the woman in a report to cps who had actually met with a social worker, lying about her and the child’s last name in an attempt to put the daughter up for adoption, her seven yr old daughter but not her son, assumingly bc she was trying to get disability payments for the sons slow progress and speech impediment. Up until the last moment the case was expected to go to trial bc she would not admit guilt, and I think the plea was so lenient just to save the state the burden of a trial.
Oh boo-hoo. Your poor wealthy son, who probably had the best of lawyers and a spot in the cushiest jail possible for his offense, actually had to do some time for taking and dealing bad drugs? You poor oppressed celebrities.
I wonder if he realizes that encouraging that kind of entitlement and victimhood is not only incredibly off-putting behavior, but is not likely to motivate his son to get help for his drug problem and turn his life around.
Agreed! So tired of these celebs acting like any punishment they receive for breaking the law is somehow too harsh. This guy SOLD/TRAFFICKED drugs! He continued to deal in drugs after he was caught again and again! Trying to spin this into ‘he was sent to jail for being an addict’ is bull. Douglas really means he is Hollywood royalty and it still wasn’t enough to get his son off. His and his son’s sense of entitlement is what created this whole thing.
Absolutely. Just because his son couldn’t pull a Lohan, he feels like a victim.
The guy was 1 week away from being released, and he couldn’t stay away from drugs for even that short amount of time? He deserves to be locked up for that stupidity alone.
And I take a very harsh line against dealing. Being an addict is bad enough, but at least you could sort of make the argument about addiction being an illness (even if I don’t buy into that 100%). But dealing? You are contributing to the deaths of other people, and that is beyond the pale. That warrants jail time no matter who you are.
Is not good. HE may be the reason himself.
Technically, I partly agree with him. The truth is that, in state of California, there are people that serve less time than that for murder. That’s right MURDER.
His son’s problem was that he screwed with the Feds. Federal offenses are stronger than state level crimes. I read an article once that showed how people were serving more time for mail tampering (fed offense) than for ~disturbingly~ violent crimes including murder.
It is a sad reality that in our justice system that drug charges are often dealt with much more harshly than violent crimes. Child molesters often get very light sentences in comparison to drug charges. It seems to ridiculous to be true but it is. California doesn’t have a monopoly on unequal justice system.
This. Several states have given people ridiculously light sentences for murder because of so called “crimes of passion” laws. I think the concept of a “crime of passion” is BS. A person stalking and then ultimately murdering an ex or someone else they have obsessed over, is deserving of far more than 12 years in prison. I think murder should come with a life sentence.
The War on Drugs. Ah, we sure do like getting involved in stupid crap like that, don’t we?
Yeah the war on drugs has been a disaster. Jail for a drug addict only punishes them for an addiction. Rehab would be more effective in treating the addiction long term. Violent offenders and sex offenders wouldn’t be eligible for early release because of overcrowding.
I think it’s perfectly possible that both things are true. He did deserve exactly what he got and it’s probably true that he was made an example. I don’t really have a problem with either one.
No wonder Catherine has had fits of rage and disgust.. enough of this sorry elitist fool.. and wants her children safe,.. I think divorce is near, even nigh
Here’s hoping he gets some kind of drug/counseling treatment in prison, but I doubt it. I really can’t sympathize with the son–addicts drive everyone around them crazy, and make other peoples’ lives miserable.
Prison fosters drug habits. It is ridiculously easy to get drugs in prison unfortunately.
If only they would make an example out of Lindsay Lohan…
OH MY GOD! This is entitlement at ITS WORST. There are people here in NYC who have received MINIMUMS of 2 year sentences at Rikers Island because they had a JOINT or marijuana. Had his son been an average minority male from Brownsville Brooklyn with no famous daddy to complain to the press, you can BET this kid would have an even longer sentence.
THIS OVERPRIVILEGED PRICK!
Still? I thought that marijuana had been basically decriminalized in NY??
Also, I don’t really think this is entitlement at its worst; the guy is serving 9 years in jail. Entitlement comes to mind a little more for me in a Lindsay Lohan type situation.
The only people going to jail for pot in New York are those who are caught with so much that the authorities assume it was intent to sell. It’s a small time misdemeanor unless they think you’re a dealer, and if you are, then I don’t care how much time you do. Being a dealer is not the same as being a college kid caught with a joint and an open beer.
This is a pretty enabling comment for his son to hear – ‘it’s ok – you got the fuzzy end because you’re famous and rich’. We’ve seen from la Lohan that the rule works in reverse. I can understand someone having their sentence bumped from 5 to 9 years if they a/ get caught with heroin when they’ve already been given cushy house arrest and b/get caught with drugs in prison. If just shows that he’s not learning from his treatment getting progressively more restrictive. So, if restriction doesn’t work, what does? Longevity, perhaps.
PS – I am ALL OVER that Liberace film – I cannot bloody wait. I really enjoy Michael Douglas’ acting. Do you remember the cameo he did in Will and Grace, as a gay gay pretending to be a cop to hit on Will? He seemed to relish that role!
Sometimes we as parents don’t want to see the bad in our children. Therefore we make excuses and try to reason why they do the things they do. I don’t think money or fame plays a part in this thinking. You feel you do the best you can as a parent and still the child goes down the wrong path. We have so much hurt that we try and cover our feeling with useless excuses. He is a addict and he did this to himself. But as a parent, it has to hurt to know your child will be locked up for so long. Just sad.
I totally agree with you, plus by his own admission he wasn’t the best dad to this son during his formative years, so prob a large helping of guilt in there as well.
That being said- his son is not 17. Clearly he’s a over the top addict- trying to smuggle drugs into a Fed pen?? If memory serves, he did sustain a broken leg while in prison, under somewhat suspicious circumstances, and that would be a genuine reason to complain.
No, Michael, he got treated like any average ordinary person who committed crimes and didn’t just happen to have the money, resources, or political connections to escape actual justice. He GOT special treatment but screwed THAT up to such an extent that the law was “forced” to punish him more severely. GTFO with your whiny sense of privileged, elite, entitlement thinking and do something meaningful with your money and your life.
Yes! Exactly!! And people seem to overlook the fact that he was moving drugs and dealing drugs!!!! He was not just a Hollywood kid going out and partying with a few joints and a line of cocaine. (Not as if that is real great either…but Cameron was a DRUG DEALER!!!!)
My gosh I feel for the children of celebrities. They really do not stand a chance with their narcissistic, often absent parents.
With that said, he was a grown man making these bad choices over and over, he got caught and is paying the price.
Sounds about right to me.
If the ‘name’ got Cameron injustice, then the law would have locked up the Lohan Cracken and thrown away the key.
So sad. Especially opining this sorry excuse in public.
Uh no, Mike. Your loser son is a drug dealer and a junkie. Maybe if you had spent more time fathering him instead of chasing actress tail, he’d be a better person.
Sad to say but YES THIS
This, along with the obvious narcissism of both parents explains a lot. I imagine Douglas just cannot make sense of it as I have no doubt Cameron was never “abused” and I’m sure he wanted for nothing as a child…except his parents. Sadly it doesn’t seem that Cameron ever had any surrogate parental figures or mentors step in because, let’s face it, who’s going to tell (or imply to) a Hollywood superstar and his rich wife that they are terrible parents? it doesn’t excuse Cameron’s actions, but it certainly explains a lot.
Based on the bio I read on Douglas, his ex, Diandra, was also a very self absorbed person. So really, he had two parents that threw a lot of money and toys at him but didn’t really pay attention to him.
Sorry but I think I’d rather see murderers and pedophiles get more time than someone who has committed a non violent crime. Get the kid treatment. Jail isnt going to help.
“because of his last name he’s been made an example”
delusional much?
because he’s a drug addict and dealer he’s been given due punishment.
I think I might feel what he is saying, because you know he has had a very difficult period in his life, and now it’s better to blame “the system” than accept your son is a drug-mess. So even if I don’t agree, I’ll give him a pass for this.
What I don’t get is how is it possible Lindsay Lohan can always mock the law system.
Because she keeps getting caught in California and we don’t have room in our prisons for petty drug offenses, even if we’d all like to make room for her. The Federal Govt. is ordering early releases of prisoners and we’re having a hard time finding room for even the violent ones, let alone the LL’s of the world.
Shame on you Michael, do not enable him any longer. He thought “because of his name” he could do what he wanted.
He might be right. His son is a heroin addict. You lose your soul when craving drugs. As a parent, it is normal to feel that way with doubling the sentence. In federal prison it’s mandatory serve the sentence. I have worked in criminal circuit court, and. It’s mindblowing how criminals commiting violent crimes get out sooner and time knocked off for good behavior, reduced sentences and it was a violent crime. I saw two pedophiles with a history of sexual abuse walk because the jury didn’t get to hear it. Michael’s son is addicted to drugs. I still think back to Michael Gahan of Depeche Mode who became severely addicted to Heroin, overdoes, heart attacks, suicide tries because it had such a hold on him, and after seven years he got clean but almost served time too.
Dave Gahan.
LOL I had Michael Douglas on the brain when I typed Michael instead of Dave, I guess.
Wake up Michael! Your son is a lowlife drug dealer. He went to prison for BREAKING THE LAW!
I read the whole article and while he does say he feels like his son was punished more harshly than the average individual, he also acknowledged that his son needed rehab/jail, that he tried not to enable him by keeping the money supply low, and I know he’s said in previous interviews that he was a crappy father to his son and that contributed to his kid’s problems.
The article also states his son was in solitary confinement for 11 months at one point and his father hasn’t seen him in 2 years because he’s only allowed visits from his attorney. It’s a genuinely sad story. The way we punish drug addicts in this country is appalling. Cameron Douglas was a dealer, though, which makes the harshness of his sentence appropriate – BUT he wouldn’t have been a dealer if he wasn’t an addict in the first place.
Weirdly enough, most dealers are NOT users first. The first rule of dealing is, apparantly, “don’t get high on your own supply.” It makes you sloppy, you use your own stuff and get in trouble with the people above you, etc. The majority of dealers who I’ve had the displeasure to meet HATE the junkies. They see them as pathetic and to be taken advantage of. Do some users start dealing to get money? A few – but most higher level dealers don’t deal with them. Just a matter of time until theu steal from you.
I would agree that the sentence is harsh if the son was solely using. However, he was a dealer. He was taking advantage of other addicts to push drugs and make money. He was enabling others and making it harder for them to kick their habits. That makes him scum – straight up. The fact that he was using too just means he wasn’t a very smart dealer. He got what he deserved.
I would hate to be a police officer. If they treat a celeb like the rest of society, they are making an example of that person. If they don’t, they are giving the celeb special treatment. Its a no-win situation.
Didn’t Cameron go to rehab a couple of times?
Maybe solitary confinement is the only way to protect him from other inmates?
Michael is delusional if he thinks his son is being treated more harshly because he’s a “Douglas”.
Cameron Douglas is a complete and total loser, and will never be anything else. At this point I’m not surprised that only his Dad is still in his corner. Someone’s gotta be!
Textbook enabler.
The US likes to imprison their people. They have more citizens in prison than any other country in the world. I think they have more prisons than any other country. And the majority of those prisoners are black, poor and non violent drug users. In fact more black men are in prison today than there ever were slaves back in the day. I watched a documentry on this very topic not long ago and I was shocked. Why arent more US citizens outraged? Canada’s creepy Harper is trying to do the same with these so called super prisons. It’s scary!
Maybe there is a huge discrepancy between the time served of famous “names” /family members and the actual famous person.
For example, Lindsey Lohan keeps skating because she’s famous (and keeping her safe during time served is problematic). Yet, the Douglas son broke his leg in prison and there wasn’t a press uproar or cries for an investigation- I hadn’t even heard. If Lohan broke her leg there would be PR DRAMA. But, if Lohan’s brother all of a sudden started having legal issues, I don’t think he would find that could get away with as much as Lindsey.
I think the courts do love to make an example sometimes, where they can, on the more public cases.
I’ll bet he had “help” breaking his leg. Maybe solitary is the only way to protect him from retaliation by the other dealers whose names he gave to authorities.
Although it is sad to say that his son is doing his time based on the law. Is the law right or wrong? I think that is the true discussion. Prior to the Drug Laws of 1939 all drugs were legal…ALL. Heroin addicts would stop at Walgreens on their way to or home from work to get their fix. We did not have the issues that we have today and the addicts were not criminals. Nor were thugs becoming millionaires off of illegal drugs. I think we need to go revisit that law. You can read up on it at the History Channel if you are interested.
So his son committed two felonies and then broke his probabtion and Michael thinks it’s wrong that he got the sentence he received? Talk about entitlement. This kid had every opportunity in terms of money for higher education, jobs his Dad could have gotten him, etc. and he chose to deal drugs instead. He got what he deserved.
What?! Meth *is* connected with extremely violent crime across the board, both by its manufacturers and its users. . It’s a horrendous drug and he isn’t just a chronic, decades long user, he’s also a dealer. You can only become addicted to something if you choose to use it – and there isn’t anyone on earth who doesn’t know the consequences of using meth.
Cameron Douglas had every single advantage in life and still blew it and decided to do drugs.He is right where he belongs and should serve the whole 9 years.But….I don’t blame Micheal for defending him.He is just a father who loves his son,the same as million of other prisoners have.I have a cousin who murdered his wife and we have all abandoned him since he was sentenced to life without parole.Except my aunt,who still visits and writes him every day.He is just her son to her,I understand how Micheal feels.
Michael Douglas needs to look in the mirror, its his fault. I remember watching an interview he gave with his son soon after the release of Basic Instinct and it was perfectly clear that the family had problems back then. This isn’t something that just happened its the end result of extremely bad parenting.
This makes me sad.. Michael Douglas really believes his “name” singles him out? That name is probably what saved his life?
my neighbor is a child molester with 3 convictions that i am aware of and hasnt spent 1 day in jail. i can see how michael may think that cameron’s sentence is too long when you compare it to other crimes.
Crime/drug arrest rates: African Americans represent 12% of monthly drug users, but comprise 32% of persons arrested for drug possession. (NAACP) With drug testing in inner city schools, there’s now talk of a “school to prison pipeline” for poor members of visible minorities in the States.
So reality check. On the other hand, Michael Douglas says this in passing, and any parent would want more lenience for their own child. However, it does remind me of a line from Frasier, when Maris gets arrested:
“We’d all like to believe that justice is blind, but the sad truth is, wealthy white women just can’t get a fair shake!”
Method is a bitch. Cameron, may u find pot instead, sometimes u have to let go of the hustle.
Dear cameron. We reach a certain age and we can’t do meth anymore. It makes us do everything bad, lie,cheat and steal. Thats when u realize u r chasing the dragon. Its more work than its worth.
And Cameron.. When u get out.. Come chill with me in Portland Oregon.
He sounds like those parents on Law and Order. “My kid may have killed that family, buried their hearts and eaten their brains BUT, you have to understand, mu kid is going through puberty and it’s difficult to deal with it !”
How old is CZJ saying she is these days? Cuz that’s a smallpox vaccine scar on her left arm & they quit mandating them in 1972. Of course, it may differ in whatever country she’s from. I just want her to pick an age & stick to it! I used to be younger than her, then same age, now I’m older! WTH, CZJ?
As for Cameron, “To thine own self be true”, meaning, it matters not whose name you possess or the balance of your bank acct. Everyone eventually pays for everything we do. You can be free in prison and imprisoned in freedom. Of course, free in freedom is preferred 😉