http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/invest/extra/P89258.asp?GT1=4255
Martha Stewart preps for prison
Martha Stewart has never been one to skimp on the extras. And her sentencing, scheduled for Friday, will be no different. Along with her friends, family and legal advisers will be an extra layer of protection -- in the form of a sentencing consultant, hired to help the doyenne of taste navigate the hazards and complexities of her punishment.
"We'll want to make sure all goes as well as it can go," says her adviser, Herb Hoelter, who will have a seat in the federal court in New York. "Or, I'll be there if anything goes sour."
Stewart's hire is not an anomaly these days. As white-collar criminals increasingly face jail terms, a group of consultants is helping them transition from life in the fast lane to life behind bars. Some advisers focus solely on the sentencing process, often convincing judges to hand down shorter and lighter penalties. Others are more all-encompassing: part legal adviser, part psychiatrist and part friend, as they help defendants and their families prepare for the shock, humiliation and isolation that often accompany a prison sentence.
Those familiar with the business say the industry is in great demand from white collar criminals, ranging from child pornographers to CEOs accused of stealing corporate funds. "People with money retain them," says Malcolm Young, executive director of the Sentencing Project, a nonprofit group. He likens the trend to those able to pay for the best medical care. "They think it's effective."
Studies have shown that such advisers have had an impact in reducing sentences and finding alternatives to incarceration.
Stewart?s alternatives to prison
In Stewart's case, Hoelter has been involved with her proposal to do community service at the Women's Venture Fund, which teaches urban women entrepreneurial skills.
"From a community service standpoint, there is not a better fit," says Hoelter, a cofounder and CEO of the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives in Baltimore. "The judge could give a shorter period of time and community service or she could order community service instead of part of the time in jail."
Must be nice to be wealthy enough to hire someone who will attempt to lessen your punishment.