Mischa Barton has managed to avoid prison time after she was sentenced to three years of unsupervised probation in a Beverly Hills court this morning in her DUI case.

The actress, who made a name for herself playing Marissa on axed teen drama The O.C., pleaded no contest to her drunk driving charge, in a plea deal that was reached with the prosecutors to keep the young celebrity out of jail.

As well as avoiding prison, Barton’s marijuana possession charge was dropped, and her charge of driving without a license was reduced to a mere infraction.

The former soap star wasn’t at her Thursday morning hearing, instead sending along her attorney, Anthony V. Salerno, to speak on her behalf. “The DA’s were very fair in handling this case,” Salerno said earlier today. “Mischa’s glad the case has been resolved.”

The 22-year-old has also been ordered to complete a three-month alcohol education program (much like Parisite’s little brother, Barron Hilton) and pay a fine of around US$2,000. Apparently this is said to be a standard sentencing for first-time DUI offenders.

Barton’s lawyer released a statement regarding the sentencing after the hearing had concluded. It reads: “Ms. Barton understands the seriousness of this situation and assumes full responsibility for her actions. She and I are grateful to the Court and the District Attorney’s Office for the prompt and respectful resolution of the case.”

Mischa was arrested for DUI back in December, after the star was spotted by L.A. police driving erratically between two lanes of traffic. A substance believed to have been marijuana was found on her person at the time of the arrest, but was later dismissed due to the small portion found.

Since her arrest on December 27, Barton has vowed to never do something so stupid again, telling Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show in January that she’d learnt from her mistakes.

“Obviously I’m 100 percent responsible for my actions in this case,” Barton said. “I’m really disappointed in myself. I don’t know what to say about it, except that I’m not perfect, and I just don’t ever intend to do something this stupid again.”

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