Paris Hilton's jail time halved due good behavior

LOS ANGELES, May 17 (Reuters) Celebrity heiress Paris Hilton will only be jailed for 23 days of a 45-day sentence for a driving offense and will be held separately from other inmates, officials said today.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has decided it will cut the 26-year-old's sentence after reviewing the case and giving her credit for good behavior.

Spokesman Steve Whitmore said she would also be kept in a special needs housing unit.

''This was decided because of her high profile,'' Whitmore told Reuters. ''She will do fine if she follows the rules.'' Hilton's troubles began in September when the socialite and reality TV star was arrested for drunken driving.

In January, she pleaded no contest -- the equivalent of a guilty plea -- and was sentenced to three years' probation and had her license suspended.

But in February she was pulled over for driving without headlights and was found to be driving on a suspended license.

Earlier this month, a shocked and tearful Hilton was sentenced to 45 days in jail for violating her probation by driving on a suspended license.

Hilton, who has been ordered to report to prison by June 5, has said the punishment was too harsh and vowed to appeal, with her backers asking California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pardon her.

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