The world received proof on Monday that prison does indeed work.
In an interview from the Los Angeles jail where she is serving a sentence for driving while banned, celebrity inmate Paris Hilton claimed a remarkable transformation in her character. She said she was no longer superficial, had found God, wanted to work with sick children and had not looked in a mirror since entering prison.
Speaking to the veteran television anchor Barbara Walters by phone, Hilton revealed herself to be an acute critic of her former persona. “I’m not the same person I was,” she said. “I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who looked up to me.”
“I know now that I can make a difference, that I have the power to do that. I have been thinking that I want to do different things when I am out of here. I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance,” she said.
Hilton, the party-going former model and hotel heiress, was sentenced last month to 45 days in jail, but with good behaviour, Walters said, she is likely to be released on June 25, after serving a total of 23 days.
Describing her first few days in jail, Hilton said: “I was not eating or sleeping. I was severely depressed and felt as if I was in a cage. It was a horrible experience.”
But she has subsequently warmed to the idea of not being herself, she said. “I feel as if I’m a different person. I’ve dropped my appeal. I don’t want to cause any more problems.” She said she had spent her time playing table tennis, reading newspapers, the Bible and self-help books such as The Power of Now.