ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

AAP: Troubled Hollywood starlet Lindsay Lohan sobbed and pleaded but a judge still slapped her with 90 days in jail for violating probation in two 2007 drunken driving cases.

The actress burst into tears after Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel handed down the jail sentence on Tuesday, and ruled Lohan must undertake an in-patient rehab program.

Revel issued the sentence after listening to testimony from employees of an alcohol treatment program that Lohan had been ordered to attend.

Lohan missed seven classes since December, which led to the judge's harsh rebuke moments after the Mean Girls star offered a tearful apology.

"I did do everything I was told to do and did the best I could to balance jobs and showing up," Lohan told the judge.

"It wasn't vacation, it wasn't some sort of a joke.

"I'm not taking this as a joke and this is my life. This is my career and everything I've worked for for my whole life. If I had known I had to be here every week, I would've balanced it - work and everything ... It's just been such a long haul," she added.

The judge however would have none of it, likening Lohan to "someone who cheats and only thinks it's cheating if she gets caught".

"The court doesn't buy that this time," the judge said.

Lohan's alcohol education program director, Cheryl Marshall, took the stand at the hearing and testified that the actress came up with excuses for missing classes that were "endless and disrespectful".

The explanations the troubled actress gave ranged from missing flights to promoting a clothing line. She said Lohan also called to excuse herself, claiming her uncle had died and she had to fly to New York - the week before the Mean Girls star flew to Cannes, France in May.

Lohan was not immediately taken into custody and will be permitted to surrender on July 20. She will have to wear an ankle alcohol monitor until then.

Los Angeles County district attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said it was not uncommon for judges to allow defendants to turn themselves in at a later date so they can get their affairs in order.

The sentence tripled the month-long jail sentence prosecutors had sought for Lohan.

But it's unclear how much time Lohan will actually spend in jail. She may serve only a fraction of her jail sentence because of overcrowding issues.

Los Angeles Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore said female inmates convicted of non-violent misdemeanours serve about a quarter of their sentence but that can be further reduced by state credits.

Lohan could be returning to the suburban Lynwood jail where she spent 84 minutes in 2007 after pleading guilty to two misdemeanour counts of being under the influence of cocaine, and no contest to two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol level above 0.08 per cent and one count of reckless driving. She had been sentenced to four days behind bars.

The same jail housed Paris Hilton for 23 days in 2007 after she was found guilty of driving on a suspended licence while on probation in an alcohol-related, reckless-driving case.

Judge Revel spent several minutes on Tuesday detailing Lohan's conduct since 2007, noting the actress had repeatedly deflected blame and made excuses.

There were "a number of instances that would show her not taking things seriously," said Revel, who imposed a series of strict, new conditions on the actress.

Lohan will now have a probation officer who will monitor her progress more closely. She was previously on informal probation and supervised by a judge. She will also have to enter in-patient rehab.

Revel revoked Lohan's probation and ordered her to wear an ankle alcohol monitor after the starlet missed a court date in May. She was promoting a film project at the Cannes Film Festival at the time and claimed her passport was stolen.

The monitor issued an alert after the actress attended the MTV Movie Awards and after-parties last month. Revel said the device registered a 0.03 blood alcohol level at the time. Lohan has denied drinking that night.

---