LOS ANGELES - Paris Hilton soon in prison, Nicole Richie charged again, Lindsay Lohan in detox after her arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence: landings are harsh for freewheeling Hollywood starlets.

After a weekend accident, Lindsay "Herbie Fully Loaded" Lohan was also charged with carrying "contraband" found in her wrecked car, police said.

She checked herself into detox, her press agent said Tuesday.

Lohan, 20, is to appear in court on August 24. She faces jail time if convicted, although her unsullied police record could sway the judge.

That is not the case for Hilton, sentenced to 45 days in jail for driving on a suspended license.

The 26-year-old hotel heiress is to begin her sentence June 5, and will be eligible for a reduced sentence for good behavior.

Perhaps next to follow her behind bars is friend Nicole Richie, 25, whose trial for driving under the influence opens soon.

The adopted daughter of singer Lionel Richie was sentenced on similar charges in 2003, and California law mandates jail time for recidivists.

Nothing is new under the sun in Hollywood, said Syracuse University popular culture professor Robert Thomson.

"Celebrities behaving badly is certainly not an uncommon thing to find throughout history and it's certainly not going to fade away," he said.

Actor Robert Downey Jr did time in the 1990s for drug use. Christian Slater spent two months in jail after an alcohol and heroin-fueled attack on his girlfriend in 1997.

While being arrested for driving under the influence in 2006, Mel Gibson launched into an anti-Semitic diatribe.

"You have all the ingredients in some of these people that really kind of encourages this kind of behavior: lots of attention, often lots of financial resources, combined with being used to having people to defer to your every whim."

"Celebrity tends to distance you from all kinds of reality checks," the New York professor said.

Joel Stratte McClure, a freelance gossip columnist, called Los Angeles "the land of temptation; celebrities feel entitled to get everything."

However, the present rash of rogue behaviour, including Britney Spears' stint of shaving her head before checking into rehab, has a lot to do with the explosion of the celebrity press, experts agree.

Blogs dissect every move and gesture of celebrities, who do not have the right to a misstep, Thompson said.

"The entertainment news arena is so competitive that nobody feels that they can get away with these things," he said.

Life in the fast lane is difficult for any American kid in their early 20s, and celebrity makes it worse, McClure said.

"Kids are very badly educated about booze and drugs. What should be a wake-up call for all of these people is what happened to Lane Garrison," McClure said.

The actor formerly of the "Prison Break" series pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter after a deadly road accident while he was under the influence.

"He has the frankness to admit that he screwed up, and he's ready to go to jail for that, unlike these people who think the world is their oyster and they should be treated specially," said McClure.