Lauryn Hill made her millions in 1998 with her multi-platinum album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,
but Hill is now having a re-education in prison after being convicted
of tax evasion. Hill was sentenced to three months in jail for tax
evasion and yesterday marked her first night at a minimum security
Federal Correctional Institute in Danbury, Connecticut. TMZ reported that the prison food may not be as bad as one would expect since Hill had a barbeque meal for her first night.
The gossip site reported that the menu included “tasty barbeque pork
with a side of carrots, peas and sweet potatoes.” The available drink
options included a selection of juices or milk. Whether or not she liked
the food is unclear, but Hill better get used to it since she will be
there until October. The singer will also be required to hold down a job
within the prison that could include cleaning, helping in the
educational department or working in the religious services department.
At the end of the day, she will return to her dorm-style quarters that
are shared with five other inmates.
SEE ALSO: Is Lauryn Hill Going To Jail?
Hill failed to file tax returns from 2005-2007 and owed a staggering
$1.8 million in unpaid taxes, but the singer claimed that extreme
circumstances kept her from playing Uncle Sam. “[Paying taxes] only
stopped when it was necessary to withdraw from society, in order to
guarantee the safety and well-being of my family.” Hill’s attorney also
asked for mercy, citing her charity work on behalf of needy children and
attempts to pay off the taxes before sentencing. Unfortunately, the
request fell on deaf ears; Asst. U.S. Atty. Sandra Moser called Hill’s
explanations “a parade of excuses,” although the three month sentence is
much kinder than three years Hill could have potentially received.
Before arriving to prison, Hill vented on her Tumblr page by calling the IRS a “derivative system”
of the “institution of slavery and colonialism.” She said that she “got
into these very circumstances having to deal with the very energies of
inequity and resistance that created and perpetuated these savage
inequalities.”
SEE ALSO: Lauryn Hill Goes To Prison! Is Three Month Sentence Too Harsh?
Once Hill is released from prison, she will be placed on house arrest
for three months immediately afterwards as part of her one-year
probation sentence.
