Entertainment

Why's Teresa Leaving Prison Early?

by Marenah Dobin

Love her or hate her, you cannot help but feel some sympathy for Teresa Giudice and her family. The mother of four turned herself in on Monday Jan. 5, 2014 to start her 15 month prison stay for tax fraud. That is such a long time to be away from her family. Her poor girls! Luckily for them, it turns out that Giudice does not actually have to remain behind bars for 15 whole months. Teresa Giudice received an early release date from prison, as was reported on Thursday, only three days after she started her sentence. Information about Giudice's release date can be found on the "inmate locator" search on the Bureau of Prisons website. Instead of serving her entire sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Conn., Giudice will be there for 12 and 3/4 months.

It's no surprise if you're wondering if Giudice is getting special treatment since she is a star on the reality series Real Housewives of New Jersey. Celebrities do tend to get special treatment when it comes to the law. Well, you should never assume! On Thursday afternoon, some clarification about the reasoning behind Giudice's early release date was reported by Us Weekly.

As the reality star's attorney explained to the site, "You do 85 percent of your term. So 85 percent for her is 12 and 3/4 months. Then, you are eligible on that date for halfway house or home confinement for other 6 months or 10 percent of her sentence... She's aware of that." See? This would happen to anyone! Not just a celebrity.

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Giudice seems to be taking her punishment very seriously and owning up to her responsibilities. She is already on good behavior, showing up hours early for her prison stay. Hopefully, she continues to do what she is instructed to do. That is all she can do at this point. Let's just pray that Giudice remains cooperative.

Image: Getty Images