TMZ has learned Nicole Richie will do her time at the Lynwood jail — the place Paris Hilton called home for 23 days.

Richie had the option of serving her 90 hours at a "private jail." These facilities are nicer than Lynwood, for sure, but there's a downside. When an inmate does time at a private facility, they must serve out the entire sentence. At Lynwood, the Sheriff could turn a 4-day sentence into a revolving door, because of the overcrowding problem.

Even if Nicole didn't go in and out, she would do much less than 4 days. She could enter Lynwood late one evening (as Paris did) and she'd get credit for an entire day. On top of that, there's "good time" credit that would shave a significant portion of the sentence.

Man, prison rocks. It's like school, with all the extra credit they're handing out, getting sprung is practically a graduation, and then you get to turn the world on with your smile. At least Nicole knows now what she can look forward to: Next in her "Walk A Mile In Paris Hilton's Hand-Me-Down Shoes" Tour could be, "Depot: A Home Improvement Opera," in which Nicole stars alongside Stanley Tucci and one of the largely interchangeable High School Musical kids in a futuristic ode to rebuilding the world after the apocalypse, one well-chosen bathroom fixture at a time.

• Nicole Will To Dime At Paris' Big House [TMZ]

TMZ reports that Hilton's lawyer picked up the soon-to-be prisoner and her family at home following her last-chance-for-pre-incarceration-screentime (catch the The Simple Life Goes to Camp tonight on E!) appearance at last night's MTV Movie Awards (complete with monologue pummeling by host Sarah Silverman), then escorted the grieving clan on their Drive of Shame (video above) to the Men's Central Jail in downtown LA, where the official surrender took place in an attempt to avoid the paparazzi who had gathered at Hilton's new summer home in Lynwood. So there you have it: For the next 23 or so days, Hilton will be bravely serving her debt to society, emerging later this month a prison-hardened celebutard force the likes of which the world has never seen, ready to seek vengeance on all who have wronged her. Prepare yourselves.

Below, The Smoking Gun's before-and-after Hilton mugshots (one from her September arrest and one from last night's surrender), demonstrating that the L.A. County Sheriff's Department has learned how to photograph its high-profile detainees in a better-lit, more flattering fashion.

• Hilton in Custody and Doing Time [TMZ.com]
• Paris Hilton Mugshot [The Smoking Gun]
• Previously: Paris Hilton Making Final Preparations For A Magical Month In Lynwood [Defamer]