"Scared" hotel heiress, signer and model Paris Hilton, 26, traded in her designer duds for jail garb as she began serving her sentence for violating probation.
Paris Hilton will serve just 23 days in prison (the original sentence was 45 days) for violating her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.
The celebrity was escorted to the all-women's Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood near Los Angeles a day ago, where she was booked, fingerprinted and issued a jail uniform.
"Her demeanour was helpful. She was focused, she was co-operative," a spokesman said.
Just hours before her surrender, The "Simple Life" star made a surprise appearance on the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards, where she was the butt of jokes.
"I am trying to be strong right now," she told reporters on the red carpet. "I'm ready to face my sentence. Even though this is a really hard time, I have my family, my friends and my fans to support me, and that's really helpful."
Later in the show, MTV Movie Awards host Sarah Silverman cracked an off-colour joke at Hilton's expense in her opening monologue.
The crowd cheered at the mention of her pending imprisonment but when the camera panned to Hilton, she was visibly displeased.
Hilton will be housed in the "special needs" unit of the 13-year-old jail, separate from most of its 2,200 inmates.
The unit consists of 12 two-person cells reserved for police officers, public officials, celebrities and other high-profile inmates.
So far, Hilton is not sharing her cell with another inmate.
Hilton will take her meals in her cell and will be permitted to venture outside the 12-foot-by-8-foot space every day for at least an hour to shower, watch TV in the day room, participate in outdoor recreation or talk on the telephone.
No one, not even visitors, are permitted to bring cellphones or BlackBerrys onto the grounds of the facility.
During Hilton's sentencing on May 4, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer ruled that Hilton would not be allowed any work release, leave of absence from prison or use of an alternative jail, or electronic monitoring in lieu of her term.
"I did have a choice to go to a pay jail," Hilton said 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."
In some instances, high-profile celebrities are permitted to serve their term in a facility of their choosing.
In these cases, they pay a fee for their daily room and board in a smaller jail, which can provide them with greater privacy and comfort.
Zsa Zsa Gabor, for example, paid US$85 a day when she served three days in 1990 at the El Segundo jail near the Los Angeles International Airport for slapping a Beverly Hills police officer.
Authorities have said their latest celebrity inmate will not be allowed to give television interviews while serving her sentence and that aggressive steps were being taken to prevent cameras from being smuggled into the facility.