Kiefer Heading to Jail to Protect "24" (Updated)

So since I mentioned it in my last post, I might as well go into it now…

In case you haven’t heard, Kiefer’s lawyers have worked out a deal for him and it’s a pretty good one for both him and “24.”

I’ve read the court papers on TMZ.com and it’s a little complicated, but here’s the gist:

In all, Kiefer will do 48 days in jail. He will surrender December 21st and will remain in custody until January 7th for the probation violation (He’ll be given credit for 18 days for that time.). After that, he must serve an additional 30 days before July 1st.

This means that he’ll be spending his first stint in jail during the "24" Christmas production break and will probably do the other 30 days after "24" wraps production for the year.

And if you're thinking he'll get a Nicole Richie-type sentence shortening due to "overcrowding," you'd be wrong. The agreement says he must serve all 48 days and cannot be released to electronic monitoring.

Kiefer issued this statement: "I'm very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I'm deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers on '24' and at 20th Century Fox."

Here's the FOX statement: "Today our friend Kiefer Sutherland resolved his criminal case at the earliest opportunity. Kiefer made clear to us at the time of his arrest that his first concern was the welfare of those he worked with and that he intended to do whatever was necessary to prevent shutting down the show because of his situation. He told us that even if he had to sacrifice more time in custody in order to protect the show and the jobs of those who work with him, he would do so. From what occurred today, it is evident he is a man of his word. We wish him well and look forward to a long relationship with him."

And isn’t that the saddest thing about all of this? Kiefer is truly a nice guy and a real professional. He just has a real problem.

So thankfully, part of his sentence is an 18-month intensive alcohol treatment program which includes six months of weekly counseling sessions. I sincerely hope he takes it seriously this time.

He may not get another chance...