Amber Portwood headed to rehab, might avoid a 5-year prison sentence

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Amber Portwood, who starred on the MTV reality series "Teen Mom," appears to be headed to rehab, rather than jail, after striking a plea deal on a drug case.

The 21-year-old reality star has been behind bars in Indiana since December 19 and has pled guilty to possession of a controlled substance and a probation violation. The charges were filed after she was found with prescription drugs.

At a Monday hearing, she was sentenced to five years in jail. However, a judge accepted a plea deal her lawyer made last month. It states that her sentence will be postponed and that she must complete a drug rehab program, which she can serve at home and which can last up to three years, E! News reported. If she is not deemed suitable for treatment or if she does not fulfill the program's requirements, she will be sent to jail.

Portwood currently remains in custody and is set to return to court on Thursday to receive instructions about the ruling.

Portwood has undergone drug rehabilitation treatment before. In June 2011, she was admitted to the Seasons Recovery Center in Malibu, California. Earlier that month, the MTV reality star was put on probation and given a suspended two-year jail sentence for assaulting her ex-fiance Gary Shirley, the father of her 3-year-old daughter Leah.

Portwood was later hospitalized in Indiana after an apparent suicide attempt. She was admitted to a medical center on June 14, after threatening to kill herself and after reportedly fighting with Shirley over the phone.

Portwood was accused of assaulting Shirley in front of their daughter in 2009 and was seen hitting him on a September 2010 episode of "Teen Mom." Portwood no longer has custody of the couple's child.

"Teen Mom" was renewed for a fourth season, set to air in spring 2012.

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