Paris Hilton Reports To Jail

Though her appearance at the MTV Movie Awards was a surprise for many, Paris told Access that it was a last chance for her to do something fun before she had to buckle down and serve her time.

“I just, I love the movie awards,” she said. “It’s fun and I wanted to do something nice before I went off.”

And just what has given Paris the strength she needed as she waited for the inevitable?

“My family and my friends and my fans,” she told Access. “I’ve gotten thousands of letters from around the world, they’ve been so supportive and it’s just really helped me during this time. These past couple [weeks] have been a lot of time for self reflecting on my life and realizing what’s most important.”

Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said Hilton was easy to work with.

“Her demeanor was helpful. She was focused, she was cooperative,” he told the Associated Press.

Hilton turned herself in at the Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles just after 10:30 p.m., then was escorted to the all women’s facility in Lynwood, where she was booked, fingerprinted, photographed, medically screened and issued an orange top and pants, Whitmore said. Her booking number was logged as 9818783.

Access has learned that Paris was not allowed to take anything into jail with her, which apparently included her hair extensions — they had to be removed before entering, said Whitmore. He stated that he does not know if she would be allowed to wear contact lenses while in jail. Whitmore also confirmed that Sunday does count as one day toward her sentence. If she serves the full 23 expected days, that would put her release date at June 25th.

According to her booking sheet, Paris was listed as standing 5’08” and weighing 115lbs. Her charge level is listed as “M” (Misdemeanor).

Hilton’s booking photo showed the heiress wearing what appeared to be a V-neck shirt, eye makeup and lip gloss that highlighted a slight smile. Her long blond hair was draped over one shoulder.

She also was given her first meal: cereal, bread and juice.

The “Simple Life” star will be housed in the “special needs” unit of the 13-year-old jail, separate from most of its 2,200 inmates. The unit contains 12 two-person cells reserved for police officers, public officials, celebrities and other high-profile inmates. Hilton’s cell has two bunks, a table, a sink, a toilet and a small window. She does not have a cellmate.

Like other inmates in that unit, Hilton will take her meals in her cell and will be allowed outside the 12-foot-by-8-foot space for at least an hour each day to shower, watch TV in the day room, participate in outdoor recreation or talk on the telephone. No cell phones or BlackBerrys are permitted in the facility, even for visitors.

As for Paris’ visitors, it’s friends and family only on the weekends, and strictly lawyers during the week.

The jail, a two-story concrete building next to train tracks and beneath a bustling freeway, has been an all-female facility since March 2006. It’s located in an industrial area about twelve miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

“I did have a choice to go to a pay jail,” Hilton told the AP on Sunday, without giving details. “But I declined because I feel like the media portrays me in a way that I’m not and that’s why I wanted to go to county, to show that I can do it and I’m going to be treated like everyone else. I’m going to do the time, I’m going to do it the right way.”

When she was sentenced May 4, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer ruled that she would not be allowed any work release, furloughs or use of an alternative jail or electronic monitoring in lieu of jail.

Sometimes stars are allowed to do their time in a jail of their choosing. In such cases, they pay a daily room-and-board fee to the smaller jails, which afford them more privacy and comfort.

Cop-slapping actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, for example, served three days behind bars in 1990 at the El Segundo jail near the Los Angeles International Airport. She paid $85 a day.

On Saturday, about 15 photographers, reporters and television crews staked out the entrances to the jail waiting for the celebutante’s arrival. Authorities had also cordoned off a grassy area outside the facility for the media. She had until Tuesday to report.

On Sunday, about a dozen photographers and television crews were at the Lynwood facility when she arrived in an unmarked SUV. Paris’ mother, Kathy, her father Rick, sister Nicky and unknown relatives in cars came to Lynwood Jail as Paris was being booked. They were seen in their vehicles as they talked to the gate guards. Rick at one point was seen chuckling with the person sitting in the passenger seat as he drove.

Hilton’s publicist, Elliot Mintz, told the AP he spoke with Kathy after she returned from the jail.

“She told me it was very emotional,” Mintz said. “She also said that she feels this will be a time when Paris will be able to think and reflect and to spend time alone to learn from the experience because in Paris’ life she’s never alone — there’s always a constant chatter around her.”

Officers arrested Hilton in Hollywood on Sept. 7. In January, she pleaded no contest to the reckless-driving charge and was sentenced to 36 months’ probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines.

She was pulled over by California Highway Patrol on Jan. 15. Officers informed Hilton she was driving on a suspended license and she signed a document acknowledging she was not to drive. She then was pulled over by sheriff’s deputies on Feb. 27, at which time she was charged with violating her probation.