Tatum O?Neal pleads guilty, gets slap on the wrist

Tatum O'Neal is one lucky lady, at least legally. The actress comes from a long line of family members who have famously battled with addiction. The actress was busted for trying to buy crack and cocaine in early June. She subsequently claimed that she was still sober, but had almost relapsed. Oh and she thanked the cops for arresting her. And seemed to be in a fair amount of denial about the whole thing.

Instead of facing the original drug charges, O’Neal pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, and will get off with a pretty lenient sentence.

Crime may not pay, but for Tatum O'Neal, it doesn't exactly cost all that much, either. The former wild child actress has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct stemming from her June crack bust. Prosecutors in turn dropped more serious charges, including drug possession.

To atone for her misdoing, Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Elisa Koenderman sentenced the youngest ever Oscar winner to spend two half-day sessions in a drug-treatment program and pay a $95 fee.

Should the 44-year-old Rescue Me star make good on both conditions of her sentence by Sept. 4, when she's due back in court, the case against her will be dismissed. O'Neal turned down a nearly identical deal from prosecutors last month in which they offered her the chance to plead guilty to disorderly conduct and spend two days in a treatment. No word on what caused the change of heart.

[From E! News]

That’s one hell of an easy deal. $95 bucks and a total of one day in a treatment program? How is that even a consequence? Or if you don’t want to be retributive, then how is that even helpful? $95 isn’t a punishment, and a day in treatment isn’t helpful. Essentially the court is saying, “You can get away with breaking the law” and/or “We don’t care enough about you to try to get you some help.” The courts have failed from either angle you take in terms of how drug users should be treated.

Let’s hope Tatum cares enough about herself and her family to get herself into some serious and long lasting treatment.

Here’s Tatum O'Neal at the Season Three New York premiere Screening of 'Rescue Me' on May 24, 2006. Photographer: Doug Meszler. Images thanks to WENN.