L.A. County sheriff's officials said Conrad Murray will only serve about two years of his four-year sentence behind bars, but at this point is not eligible for home detention.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore told The Times that officials were still trying to determine the exact details of his incarceration. But under state law, nonviolent felons in California serve 50% of their sentences.

While the the Sheriff's Department is considering electronic monitoring at home for some inmates, Whitmore said Murray's involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of Michael Jackson will likely mean he spends the entire two years in jail. That's the maximum sentence the law will allow, Whitmore said.

Under a new state prison policy, defendants convicted of certain nonviolent crimes will spend their terms in County Jail instead of the overcrowded state prison system.

Under the law, involuntary manslaughter as well as crimes such as drug offenses and identity theft no longer require state prison time.

In blistering and lengthy remarks, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor sentenced Murray to four years in prison. He also lambasted the doctor for failing to express any remorse for the pop star’s death and suggesting in a recent documentary that Jackson bore responsibility for his own demise.

“Talk about blaming the victim,”  Pastor said. “Not only isn’t there any remorse, there is umbrage and outrage on the part of Dr. Murray against the decedent.”

Pastor denied the defense's request for probation.

"The fact remains, Dr. Murray is offended that [his] patient died," Pastor said in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. And Murray remains a danger to the community, he said.

Murray did not speak before Pastor issued his sentence.

--Richard Winton

Photo: Dr. Conrad Murray turns to the courtroom audience Tuesday after he was sentenced for his involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of singer Michael Jackson. Credit: Mario Anzuoni / EPA