Paris Hilton was released from jail at 12:15am PST on June 26, 2007. In total Hilton served 22 days in detention, counting her day-long home confinement. She was met by a contingent of paparazzi and camera crews.

On June 9, 2007 prison minister Marty Angelo petitioned sentencing Judge Michael Sauer asking to serve out the remainder of Hilton's jail sentence if the judge would release her to an alternative treatment program. Angelo's petition fell on deaf ears. 

Hilton referred to starting "a new beginning" during her interview with talk show host, Larry King on June 28, 2007, two days after being released from jail.

Angelo's autobiography entitled, "Once Life Matters: A New Beginning" was shipped to Hilton through her attorney, Richard A. Hutton on May 23, 2007 before her Los Angeles County Jail incarceration.  Hilton quoted directly from one of the book's pages (#178) during the interview when she used Angelo's 'prison motto' advice: "Don't serve the time, let the time serve you." Hilton stated, "I did that and that really helped."  

KING:  Was there a couple of days -- when -- did it happen in quickly or did it happen over a period of time or? 

HILTON:  The beginning was really hard, really hard for me.  It's kind of a blur. It was so, you know, traumatic. But after being there a while, I had to accept that I could either make the best of it or make the worst of it. So I just went with the motto don't serve the time, let the time serve you. And I did that and that really helped.

KING:  Let's hear some of the things you -- what did you write in prison, in jail?

HILTON:  Well, I had a lot of time alone, so I would write a lot. I actually have a journal with all the -- I left it at home...

KING:  You kept a daily journal?

HILTON:  Yes, I did. 

OK. 

This is one of the notes that I wrote: "They say when you reach a crossroad or a turning point in life, it really doesn't matter how we got there, but what we do next after we got there. Usually we arrive there by adversity, and then it is then, and only then, that we find out who we truly are and what we're truly made of. It's a process, a gift and a journey. And if we can travel it alone, although the road may be rough at the beginning, you find an ability to walk it, a way to start fresh again. It's neither a downfall nor a failure, but a new beginning."

And I also felt like this was a new beginning for me, just being in jail -- and I just used it as a journey to figure out myself and who I am and what I want to do. And there's -- there's just so much more to me than what people think.

Paris Hilton's post-jail appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live" drew about 3.2 million viewers, nearly triple the show's average audience. Click here to read entire transcript of Hilton's interview with Larry King.

On June 29, 2007 the popular television network MTV accused Hilton of lying to Larry King during her post-jail sentence interview when asked about her drug use. Hilton denied ever being addicted to drugs or ever taking drugs. MTV has released a news article quoting TheSmokingGun.com website which posted various video clips of Hilton either seen or heard talking about smoking marijuana, buying mushrooms and proudly declaring, "I have the best pot!"