Paris Hilton checks into L.A. County Jail

Paris Hilton checked in early to her new accommodations Sunday as she surrendered to Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies to begin serving a 23-day jail sentence on a probation violation. In contrast to her very public persona, the 26-year-old heiress, the star of the "Simple Life," slipped in for booking nearly unnoticed by the media and most of the paparazzi, which already had been massing at the 2,200 inmate facility since last week.

Officials at some of the biggest paparazzi agencies say they have been planning for weeks how to get images of Hilton while behind bars.

Sheriff Lee Baca told The Times that his deputies have taken aggressive steps that he hoped would prevent cameras from being smuggled into the jail -- which some photo agencies have said is a possibility because of the price a shot of Hilton in jail would bring.

They said photos of her behind bars could sell for $500,000. Although Baca said the heiress was a "class by herself" in the publicity department, he said Hilton will remain as isolated as possible but will follow the same rules other inmates face.