Paris Hilton’s going back to prison

After being stopped for drunk-driving …

After violating her probation on the driving ban …

After showing up late for her court hearing …

After obtaining a reduction of her sentence from the original 45 days down to 23 days …

After managing to get out of prison after only three days for unspecified health reasons …

After pleading to be allowed to stay at home and listen to the second hearing by phone rather than showing up in court …  

… a screaming and wailing Paris Hilton is back to prison.

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And once again she has taught rival heiress Nichole Richie a PR lesson: Now that Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have done it, checking yourself into rehab is old news. If you really want to make headline news, shoot for prison.  

The court has reverted to the original sentence, and she’s already served three days. So now and for the next 42 days, Paris may get more of a taste of what it’s like to be one of the 737 out of every 100,000 U.S. residents that are in jail. (For more on that topic, see “Prison Planet,” Roy Walmsley’s piece on worldwide prison trends in our May/June issue.)

But in her special unit for celebrities, public officials, police officers, and high-profile inmates, it is doubtful anyone or anything will burst her bubble. She’ll be the same old Paris Hilton when she comes out and—with the inevitable book memoirs and exclusive interviews about her dark days in Lynwood Detention Center—even richer than before.