Paris Hilton could be out of jail in double-quick time

PARIS Hilton may spend far less than 45 days in county jail for violating probation because of state policies and jail overcrowding, authorities said.

Hilton, sentenced last week, could spend three weeks or less behind bars because of a state requirement that grants inmates time off for good behaviour and because of overcrowding, Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

“It’s possible that it could be 21 days, 23 days. It’s a complicated formula that the state sets down. It’s possible that she could do less time,” Mr Whitmore said.

As for overcrowding, “our jail is bursting at the seams” and some women inmates have been released after serving only 10% of their sentence, he said.

Last year, Lost actress Michelle Rodriguez was sentenced to 60 days in jail for violating probation after her drink-driving arrest in Hawaii. She was released within hours because of overcrowding.

Hilton’s time will be determined when she is booked into the county system and will not receive any favours because she is a celebrity, he added.

“She will be treated like any other inmate who’s classified as a low-level security risk,” Mr Whitmore told the Los Angeles Times, which reported the development on its website.

A call to Hilton’s publicist seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Hilton, 26, was sentenced last week for violating the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case. A judge ordered her to report to the women’s jail in Lynwood by June 5.

Hilton intends to appeal and her fans have posted a petition on the internet urging Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon her.