R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison
Day After R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison on federal trafficking charges, the singer's lawyer said the facility committed suicide illegally. As a form of punishment, he is suing the federal prison that holds him, claiming to be watching. Lawyers argue that Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center has no reason to put 55-year-old Kelly on suicide surveillance, causing "realistic and lasting harm" to the singer.
According to court documents, both before and after the judgment, the singer was mentally stable and showed no signs of behavior that justified monitoring suicide. It was.
"Mr. Kelly repeatedly impressed me that the conditions for suicide monitoring at MDC were very stressful and harmful, not suicide," his lawyer said in an attached affidavit. I wrote in the book. "He said he didn't want to monitor suicide many times, he didn't commit suicide, and he wasn't thinking of harming himself or anyone else," he said.
Kelly's lawyer said as soon as he returned to his cell after him to prevent him from being sent to suicide surveillance. The ruling, the document said, told him to send them an email. When they did not receive the email, they repeatedly tried to contact the prison, but got the latest information about Kelly's location until two days after the prosecutor confirmed that he was in suicide surveillance. The lawyer said he couldn't.
The prosecutor reportedly told Kelly's legal team that the MDC's legal team had been transferred "for a variety of reasons, including age, crime, publicity, and judgment."
"This explanation suggests that the reason for putting Mr. Kelly in suicide surveillance has nothing to do with Mr. Kelly as an individual or whether he is actually at risk of suicide. "There is," the proceedings said.
Kelly's proceedings are under suicide surveillance for "purely disciplinary reasons" It was placed. In addition, at the MDC facility, Ghislaine Maxwell's legal teamrecently created, stating that "the strict conditions for suicide monitoring of celebrities with or without suicide. He insisted that there was a policy of putting it in. Similar claims.
Lawyers said suicide surveillance may be appropriate for suicides, but that the conditions are cruel and unconstitutional for those who are not at risk of suicide. According to the document, during suicide surveillance, prisoners were forced to wear "smock made of materials similar to the materials used by movers to wrap furniture," unable to shower or shave, and by hand. Forced to eat and allowed access to family or other support systems.
"Mr. Kelly is currently illegally imprisoned for reasons other than prominent prisoner status under strict suicide surveillance, in breach of the guarantees of Article 8 of the Constitutional Amendment. I have. " According to the document. "The situation in which he is currently in captivity is causing real and permanent harm to Mr. Kelly."
The Metropolitan Corrections Bureau was asked to comment on CBS News. Was transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prison. The agency refused to comment on the incident or provide information about Kelly's whereabouts for safety and security reasons, but a link to policyto put prisoners on suicide surveillance. Was provided.
"BOP is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all prisoners of our population, our staff, and the general public," the agency said on CBS News. Told to. "Treatment of humans and women in our detention is a top priority."
Victoria Albert is a senior news editor at CBS News. Contact her at victoria.albert@viacomcbs.com
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