R. Kelly suing prison after lawyers say he was placed on suicide watch as a form of punishment

Days after R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years on federal intercourse trafficking fees, lawyers for the singer are suing the federal prison housing him, alleging that the ability is unlawfully maintaining him on suicide watch as a form of punishment. The lawyers allege that there isn’t a motive for Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center to place the 55-year-old Kelly on suicide watch, and that doing so is inflicting “real and lasting harm” to the singer. 

Court paperwork allege that each earlier than and after the sentencing, the singer was mentally steady and confirmed no indicators of habits that might justify putting him on suicide watch.

“Mr. Kelly impressed upon me repeatedly that he was not suicidal and the conditions of suicide watch at the MDC were extraordinarily stressful and harmful,” his lawyer wrote in an accompanying affidavit. “He expressed on multiple occasions that he did not want to be put on suicide watch and that he was not suicidal and had no thoughts of harming himself or anyone else.” 

To guarantee he would not be despatched to suicide watch, Kelly’s lawyers informed him to electronic mail them as quickly as he returned to the cell after his sentencing, the paperwork mentioned. When they did not obtain an electronic mail, the lawyers mentioned, they repeatedly tried contacting the prison — however weren’t capable of get an replace on Kelly’s location till two days later, when a prosecutor confirmed he had been placed on suicide watch. 

The prosecutor allegedly informed Kelly’s authorized staff that MDC’s authorized staff mentioned he had been moved “for various reasons, such as age, crime, publicity, and sentencing.”

“This explanation suggests that the reasons for placing Mr. Kelly on suicide watch have nothing to do with him as an individual or even whether he actually is a suicide risk,” the lawsuit mentioned. 

The lawsuit alleged Kelly was put below suicide watch for “purely punitive reasons.” It additional alleged that MDC services have “a policy of placing high profile individuals under the harsh conditions of suicide watch whether they are suicidal or not,” noting that Ghislaine Maxwell’s authorized staff just lately made comparable allegations.  

While the lawyers famous that suicide watch could also be acceptable for individuals who are suicidal, it mentioned the circumstances are merciless and unconstitutional for people who find themselves not a suicide danger. The paperwork notice that whereas on suicide watch, inmates are pressured to put on “a smock made of material that is akin to the material that moving companies use when wrapping furniture,” can’t bathe or shave, are pressured to eat with their arms and usually are not allowed entry to household or different help techniques. 

“Mr. Kelly is currently being confined illegally, in violation of his Eighth Amendment guarantees, under the harsh conditions of suicide watch for no reason other than his status as a high-profile inmate,” the paperwork mentioned. “The conditions under which he is currently being confined are causing real and lasting harm to Mr. Kelly.”  

The Metropolitan Department of Corrections directed CBS News to the Federal Bureau of Prisons when reached for remark. The Bureau declined to remark on the case or present information on Kelly’s location, citing security and safety causes, however supplied a link to its policy for putting inmates on suicide watch. 

“The BOP is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all inmates in our population, our staff, and the public,” the Bureau informed CBS News. “Humane treatment of the men and women in our custody is a top priority.”