Paris Hilton was greeted by a huge crowd of cameramen and photographers today as she was released from jail in Los Angeles after serving half of her 45 day sentence for breaching her probation.

The hotels heiress and socialite walked out of Lynwood's Century Regional Detention Centre at midnight Los Angeles time (8am BST), to a rapturous reception from wellwishers and raucous shouts from the large media pack.

The photographers swarmed to capture images of the image-conscious celebrity as, clad in tight navy trousers and a short-sleeved green jacket , and with her freshly-washed hair pulled demurely into a plait down her right shoulder, she made her way towards the black people-carrier where her parents, Kathy and Rick Hilton, were waiting.

At first Hilton walked soberly, flanked by her lawyer, her media adviser and prison officers, but then she strode ahead, broke into a skip and then into a half run. She beamed broadly and, as the crowd yelled encouragement, she reached out to touch a few hands as she passed.

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BACKGROUND

• Paris Hilton: a jailbird no more

• Paris Hilton is behind bars

• Paris shares cell with jailbird who won’t sing

• Paris does porridge

• All the thrills and spills of Hilton’s celebrity trial

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Cameramen sprinted to keep pace with the vehicle as it nosed through the crowds and started to accelerate away.

Hilton has served 23 days of her sentence for violating probation rules over her conviction for alcohol-related reckless driving. An analysis by The Los Angeles Times found that the time she spent inside far exceeded the sentence served by most county inmates for similar offences.

But the judge in Hilton's case was driven to enforce the full letter of the law on her, after the storm of protests that erupted when she was, initially, released on the orders of the sheriff after serving only three days.

The sheriff's reason for freeing her - a psychiatrist's assessment that she was not coping with imprisonment - was swept aside by the judge, who sent her weeping back to prison to serve the rest of her sentence.

In an interview before her release, Hilton has spoken of how prison has changed her. She is reported to have said that she realised now that she was surrounded by "bad people" and that she didn't want to be surrounded by them any more.

She also reportedly spoke of her desire to set up a halfway house for women inmates who would otherwise by homeless, friendless and without food or money when they were released from prison. She said that she wanted to stop the cycle of reoffending for such women.

Reports yesterday quoted Hilton’s family and friends as saying that a “quiet gathering” was being planned for the socialite’s release, playing down speculation of a lavish bash at Caesar's Palace casino in Las Vegas. A spokeswoman for the Hilton family said she “can’t wait to take that orange suit off".

“Paris is doing really well, she is really looking forward to going home, and she thanks you in the press who supported her,” she said. “She wants to be with the family."

Hilton’s first post-prison interview will be held with veteran CNN anchor Larry King tomorrow. The network and a spokesman for Hilton said the 26-year-old would not receive payment for the interview.

In a statement released through her publicist, Hilton said she was pleased to be telling her side of the story on King’s show.

“I am thrilled that Larry King has asked me to appear on his program to discuss my experience in jail, what I have learned, how I have grown and anything else he wants to talk about,” she said.

As the hours ticked down to the moment of her release, residents in Hilton’s exclusive enclave in the Hollywood Hills above Sunset Boulevard distributed leaflets protesting about the celebrity's return, The Los Angeles Times reported.

They called on the authorities to crack down on paparazzi and media in order to avoid a repeat of the circus that surrounded Hilton’s extraordinary police convoy to a Los Angeles court-room on June 8.

“Dear Neighbor, since the arrival of Paris Hilton to our neighborhood, we’ve seen our quality of life deteriorate,” the leaflet reads. “We feel we need to take a united stand. The circus will resume next week when she gets out of jail."

Neighbours have complained that as well as the habitual presence of paparazzi, Hilton’s home has also hosted wild parties that have shattered the calm of the area.

“We shouldn’t have to absorb all of this because of one person. Why must we put up with all her baggage?” Selby Segall, 75, said.

City authorities declared the streets surrounding Hilton’s home a no-parking zone in order to ease congestion.

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