Paris Hilton Rejoins Society

Paris Hilton went free yesterday. Ending her three weeks in the women’s jail in Lynwood, Calif., she smiled, waved, embraced her mother and rode away with her parents, The Associated Press reported. “She fulfilled her debt,” said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. At a daily cost to taxpayers of $1,109.78, more than 10 times the expense of housing inmates in the general population, Ms. Hilton, 26, was confined to a solitary cell in a special needs unit for violation of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless-driving case. She will complete her probation in March 2009 if she keeps her driver’s license current and does not break any laws. The time can be reduced by 12 months with community service that could include a public service announcement, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office said.