Lawyers for R. Kelly are suing the federal prison where he is being held, alleging that it unlawfully keeps him on suicide watch as a punishment. Lawyers claim that Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center should not place Kelly, 55, on suicide watch and that this is causing Kelly "real and lasting damage."
According to court documents, the singer was mentally stable both before and after his sentencing. He also showed no signs that would justify him being placed on suicide watch.
In an accompanying affidavit, Kelly's lawyer stated that Kelly repeatedly impressed upon him that he wasn't suicidal. The suicide watch conditions at the MDC were extremely stressful and dangerous. He stated repeatedly that he didn't want to be placed on suicide watch, that he wasn't suicidal, and that he had no thoughts of harming anyone or himself.
Kelly's lawyers instructed him to email them immediately after he was sentenced. This was to ensure that he wasn't sent to suicide watch. The lawyers claimed that they did not receive an email from Kelly and tried to contact the prison several times, but they were unable to obtain an update on Kelly's whereabouts until two days later when a prosecutor confirmed that he was on suicide watch.
Kelly's legal staff was told by the prosecutor that MDC's legal teams had said that Kelly was being moved "for different reasons, such as his age, crime, publicity and sentencing."
The lawsuit stated that Kelly's suicide watch was a "logical explanation" and had nothing to do with Kelly as an individual.
Kelly was allegedly placed under suicide watch "purely for punitive purposes," according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also claimed that MDC facilities had a policy of placing high-profile individuals under harsh suicide watch conditions, regardless of whether they are suicidal. It noted that Ghislaine Maxwell's legal staff made similar claims.
Although suicide watch is appropriate for suicidal people, the lawyers stated that the conditions were cruel and unconstitutional for anyone who is not at risk of suicide. According to the documents, suicide watch inmates are required to wear a "smock made from material similar to that used by moving companies when wrapping furniture." They are also not permitted to shower or shave and must eat with their hands.
According to the documents, Kelly was being held illegally in violation of his Eighth Amendment rights, under harsh suicide watch conditions, for no other reason than his status of a high-profile prisoner. Kelly is suffering real and lasting damage from the conditions in which he is being held. Kelly."
CBS News was directed by the Metropolitan Department of Corrections to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, when CBS News attempted to reach them for comment. Although the Bureau refused to comment or give information about Kelly's whereabouts, it provided a link to its policy regarding suicide watches.
According to CBS News, "The Bureau of Prisons is committed to ensuring safety and security for all inmates in our population as well as our staff and the public," said the Bureau. "Humane treatment for the men and women under our custody is a top priority."
