Paul Manafort to be Transferred to Solitary at Rikers

New York City, New York – A federal judge has ordered that Paul Manafort be transferred from a minimum security prison in Pennsylvania to Rikers Island Prison in New York. The move is most likely due to prosecutors in New York State plan on indicting the President’s former campaign chief for additional charges later this month. It is expected that he will spend the remainder of his 7 year sentence in the maximum security facility. If he is convicted of further crimes, this may only be the start of his prison time.

Manafort’s Mugshot

23 Hours Alone a Day “For His Protection”

Sources told the New York Times, that in all likely hood Manafort will be held “in a former prison hospital on the island.” It is in this area that high-profile figures, such as him, spend the duration of their stay at Rikers in solitary confinement. This forced seclusion can last up to 23 hours a day. Manafort would likely spend every day of the next 7 plus years living like this, not for murder, not for violence, but for failing to register as a foreign agent.

7 Years in a Hell-Hole

Manafort has been convicted on counts of money laundering, fraud and as mentioned above, failing to register as a foreign agent. He faces yet more charges. Nobody is really arguing that he is the most upstanding man in america, There is a valid question to be asked, however, as to whether his punishments exceed his crimes. Does Manafort deserve to be held in these conditions, for what may turn out to be over a decade? Even if he is not convicted of anymore, crimes he would still likely face around 62 thousand hours looked in a room alone.

Even if you weren’t to spend your time in confinement, Rikers Island is not the kind of place you would want to visit. A report from 2017 found that correctional officers at the facility “relish confrontation.” Furthermore, incidents of officer-on-inmate violence are on he rise. Inmate-on-inmate violence although on the decline is at worrying levels. It is a fair question to ask why someone who is facing charges of fraud would be subjected to such a place. In fact many oppose the entire existence of the facility.