Paris Hilton is out of jail

Paris Hilton, escorted by Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies, reacts as she walks out of the Angeles County Sheriff Department's Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif., with her lawyer lawyer, Richard Hutton, second left, Tuesday June 26, 2007. Paris Hilton has been released from jail after serving about three weeks for an alcohol-related reckless driving case. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)

Well, the big news story for today is going to be Paris Hilton. Yes, she is now out of jail. According to MSNBC News:

LYNWOOD, Calif. - A smiling Paris Hilton walked out of a Los Angeles County jail early Tuesday, officially ending a bizarre, three-week stay that ignited furious debate over celebrity treatment in the jail system.

The 26-year-old celebutante was greeted by an enormous gathering of cameras and reporters upon leaving the all-women’s facility in Lynwood about 15 minutes past midnight. She had checked into the Century Regional Detention Facility late June 3, largely avoiding the spotlight, after a surprise appearance at the MTV Movie Awards.

Hilton smiled and waved as she filed past deputies and the media, her blond hair pulled back in a braided ponytail. Her parents, Kathy and Rick, waited in a black SUV. Hilton hurried to the vehicle, where she hugged her mom through the window.

Hilton, who was wearing a sage jacket with white trim over a white shirt and skinny jeans, did not respond to reporters’ questions.

“She fulfilled her debt. She was obviously in good spirits. She thanked people as she left,” said sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.

And the media frenzy over Paris' freedom has gone completely overboard. I saw the "Breaking News" stories of Paris Hilton's release from jail on the main cable news channels MSNBC, Fox News and CNN last night. Just look at the pic below here:

Members of the media swarm the car of Paris Hilton as she leaves the Los Angeles County Correctional Facility in Lynwood, California June 26, 2007. Hotel heiress Hilton, who commanded as much attention behind bars as on the Hollywood party scene, regained her freedom on Tuesday after serving three weeks in jail for violating probation in a drunk-driving case. REUTERS/Max Morse (UNITED STATES)

Continuing with the MSNBC story:

Photographers sprinted after Hilton’s vehicle as she left. When the SUV hit a red light during the ride, photographers jumped out of their cars and swarmed it.

Hilton appeared to have gone to a family home in a ritzy Los Angeles canyon north of Sunset Blvd.

I would guess that Paris Hilton will have a big party celebrating her release from jail tonight. And that is fine with me--she served her time. What is rather ironic is how the media is also playing up this little detail of the costs of Paris Hilton's jail time. According to MSNBC News:

Hilton’s stay there cost taxpayers $1,109.78 a day, more than 10 times the cost of housing inmates in the general population.

So it cost the taxpayers around $25,000 for Paris Hilton's three-week stay in jail. In one sense, it was probably worth it. There are times that celebrities will go overboard in their outrageous behavior, knowing that they can get away with it. Paris Hilton is a prime example of such outrageous behavior. She was originally arrested on September 7 after police "saw her weaving down a street in her car on what she said was a late-night run to a hamburger stand." Hilton failed a sobriety test, and then "pleaded no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 36 months’ probation, alcohol education and $1,500 in fines." That should have been the end of the story, but it wasn't. Hilton was stopped twice by officers for driving with a suspended license. Paris Hilton flouted the law here. And because of that, Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer slammed Hilton with a 45-day sentence to jail. Case closed. All Paris Hilton has to do now is follow the conditions of her probation here.