It’s terrible to see another heartbreaking Hollywood story. And no, we are not talking about a breakup or divorce-gone-awry. A-list actor, Michael Douglas’ son, Cameron, 37, just completed his seven-year sentencing for possession of heroine and trying to sell mathamphetamine while behind bars. It is said that Douglas’ eldest child is staying at a halfway house somewhere in Brooklyn.
Cameron has had a history of drug abuse and had initially been sentenced to serving 5 years for possession. However, while in jail, he was caught selling meth to fellow inmates. This resulted in an extension of jailtime, totalling to 7 years, with the last two being in solitary confinement. He had penned an open letter that was published in Huffington Post titled “Words Behind Walls”, where he wrote:
“So, here I sit at my little table in the belly of the beast, writing to you…I was also given an additional 4.5 years on top of my initial five-year sentence, as if 11 straight months in segregation, locked down 23 hours a day, was not enough…This outdated system pays little, if any, concern to the disease of addiction, and instead punishes it more harshly than many violent crimes…I’m not saying that I didn’t deserve to be punished, or that I’m worthy of special treatment. I made mistakes and I’ll gladly and openly accept my faults. However, I seem to be trapped in a vicious cycle of relapse and repeat, as most addicts are. Unfortunately, whereas the effective remedy for relapse should be treatment, the penal system’s “answer” is to lock the door and throw away the key”.
Read the full open letter by Cameron Douglas titled, Words Behind Walls to Huffington Post here.
Michael Douglas himself has been open about the whole ordeal, once responding when questioned: “It’s a very difficult situation and painful, as I’m sure any father or mother of a substance abuser knows. So, we’re doing the best we can”. The actor and wife Catherine Zeta-Jones even moved closer to where his son was being held so he could visit him up to 2 times a week.
Many are criticising Cameron, a grown man with obvious issues and these critics say that he’s just a rich kid making excuses. Selling drugs is, in fact, a crime that should not go unpunished. But the real question is, will he find his way back to the hell house and into his relapse-repeat situation that he’s found himself in before, or will he turn around and change his life for the better.
