Kiefer Sutherland Released from Jail Today

Kiefer Sutherland was released from Glendale jail early Monday after serving 48 days on a drunken driving charge, police said.

Sutherland spent most of his jail sentence by himself, interacting with fellow prisoners only when he was on the way to the laundry room where he worked cleaning sheets, pillowcases and blankets. The star of Fox television's "24" also had a cell to himself and ate alone.

Officials rejected several requests from strangers who asked to visit Sutherland during his sentence. "A lot of people came in to see him off the street: nutritionists, psychics, just random people who thought they could walk up and see him," Glendale police Officer John Balian said. "That just wasn't going to happen."

Sutherland pleaded no contest in October to driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.08%. He was sentenced to 30 days, as well as 18 days for violating probation stemming from a 2004 drunken-driving arrest.

He was granted a request to serve his time in suburban Glendale's city jail, rather than in the overcrowded downtown Los Angeles County jail. The trade-off was that Sutherland could not shave any time off his sentence for good behavior or early release because of overcrowding.

The actor must also serve five years probation and complete an 18-month alcohol education program and attend weekly therapy sessions for six months. Balian called Sutherland a model prisoner who has now paid his dues.