Paris Hilton may not serve her 45-day jail sentence in full, because state prisons are too overcrowded.
Hilton was given the sentence last week after violating terms of her 2006 drink-driving arrest.
The jail-bound socialite is due to begin her stint behind bars on June 5, and while California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is keeping coy about her chances of a pardon, state authorities believe she will benefit from the packed prison cells, which have been described as "bursting at the seams".
Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore says: "It's possible that (Hilton's sentence) could be 21 days, 23 days. It's a complicated formula that the state sets down. It's possible that she could do less time."
But Whitmore warns the 26-year-old she will not be receiving any preferential treatment.
He adds: "She will be treated like any other inmate who's classified as a low-level security risk."
