Douglas, whose son Cameron has been in prison because of drug issue, says at the backstage of the 2013 Emmy Awards that he is 'very disappointed with the system.'
- Sep 23, 2013
AceShowbiz - Michael Douglas criticized U.S. prison system after he won a trophy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a TV Miniseries or Movie at the 2013 Emmy Awards. The actor, who won the prize for his role in HBO movie "Behind the Candelabra", opened up about his son Cameron who is currently in jail after the win.
Speaking to media backstage, the 68-year-old actor explained, "My son is in federal prison. He's been a drug addict for a large part of his life - if you happen to have a slip, and this is for a prisoner who is nonviolent, as about a half-million of our drug-addicted prisoners are - he's spent almost two years in solitary confinement," he said, as quoted by Entertainment Weekly.
"Right now I've been told that I can't see him for two years. It's been over a year now. And I'm questioning the system," he added. "Obviously at first, I was certainly disappointed in my son. But I've reached a point now where I'm very disappointed with the system."
"And as you can see from what Attorney General Eric Holder has been doing regarding our prison system, I think things are going to be revived, regarding nonviolent drug addicts. My last comment on that is the United States represents 5 percent of the world's population and we have 25 percent of the world's prisoners," Douglas elaborated.
After receiving his trophy on the Sunday, September 22 show, Douglas delivered an acceptance speech, thanking his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and fellow nominee Matt Damon. "I wanna thank my wife, Catherine, for her support," he said onstage, adding, "Shout out to my oldest son, Cameron, and hoping that I'll be able and they'll allow me to see him soon."
