Paris must keep quiet in jail

2007-06-02 10:34

Los Angeles - Paris Hilton would not be allowed to give television interviews while serving her jail sentence, and aggressive steps were being taken to prevent cameras being smuggled into the facility, Sheriff Lee Baca said on Friday.

Hilton was ordered to begin her sentence in Lynwood by Tuesday. The facility is 8km south of Los Angeles.

She was sentenced to 45 days' last month for violating the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

Sheriff's officials have said she will serve about 23 days' because of state rules allowing shorter sentences for good behaviour.

Deputies and jail employees had been told to treat the 26-year-old heiress like any other inmate, Baca told the Los Angeles Times.

"Paying a debt to society should not be an element of her celebrity," Baca said. "Her occupation is publicity, but no one should profit in jail."

Hollywood photo agencies expect a photo of Hilton in jail could be worth big money.

No pics of Paris in handcuffs

"The reality is why don't they just let her walk down the concrete carpet," Frank Griffin, co-owner of the Bauer-Griffin paparazzi agency, told the newspaper. "This is going to be turned into an event like the Oscars."

Baca said it was unclear whether Hilton would surrender at the court where she was sentenced or report straight to jail.

He said American authorities would not allow her to "be seen in handcuffs ... or in the back of a police car, forlorn and in handcuffs".

Once there, Hilton would go through the normal intake process, Baca said. This involved an interview by jail staff and evaluations for any medical and other needs.

"Jails are not circuses and not places where 'fun' is the priority," Baca said. "Jail should be a corrective learning experience."

The jail houses about 2 200 women, but officials say Hilton will be kept away from the general prison population.

Baca said no decision had been made about whether she would share a cell with anyone.

Hilton would "experience her incarceration as all other women will experience it", Baca said. "She won't get better food, she won't get different lockup time or a different environment."

- AP