Federal prosecutors on Saturday defended the decision to arrest R&B artist R. Kelly on a suicide watch at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he has remained since being sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. for sex trafficking and fraud.
Mr. Kelly, 55, sued the prison on Friday, saying he really didn’t need suicide monitoring and that prison staff had used the tool punitively against high-profile defendants.
A staff psychologist at the prison first placed Mr. Kelly on the brink of suicide following his sentencing last Wednesday, when a psychiatric review determined Mr. Kelly was at risk of self-harm. clinically relevant. According to court documents, psychologists consider the defendant’s mental state, level of desperation, and the length of their sentence when making that assessment.
But in his lawsuit, Mr. Kelly, who has been in prison for more than a year, claims that he made it clear to psychologists that he did not commit suicide and was included in the program anyway. Inmates on suicide watch are often asked to wear a paper jacket rather than a regular overalls. In some cases, they were not provided with utensils and were forced to eat with their hands, the records said.
The “harsh” conditions of suicide monitoring have irreparably harmed Mr. Kelly, his lawyers said.
The prison policy contained in court records states that while being monitored for suicide, inmates may be restrained and subject to constant supervision by prison officials.
Detention center staff knew that Mr. Kelly “was not a suicide risk as they placed him in a suicide watch to brutally imprison him,” the lawsuit says.
However, government lawyers said it would be “unprecedented” if the prison removed Mr. Kelly from a suicidal stance based on his own analysis. They say he has remained on watch since Saturday, for his own safety.
Mr. Kelly’s attorneys argued last week that unnecessarily being placed on the suicide list violated Mr. Kelly’s Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment. They said Mr. Kelly was mentally prepared for his sentencing and showed no signs of distress.
“Nothing happened during the sentencing that surprised Mr. Kelly,” his attorney wrote.
The prison, in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, is also home to Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted sex trafficker and former partner of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Miss Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison last week, was also recently placed on suicide watch at the detention facility, long time topic accusations of poor housing and mismanagement.
It is unclear how long Mr. Kelly will remain in custody in New York, where he was convicted last year of human trafficking and fraud. He will soon face a federal trial in Chicago accusing him of producing child pornography and luring minors to perform sexual acts. That trial is set for August 22.
