For many celebs, prison is a harrowing experience, even if they're in one of America's cushier
joints.
From bad food and contraband weapons to yard brawls and serious health problems, here's
what life behind bars is really like for these celebs.
As of November 2019, Tekashi 6ix9ine is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to nine separate
charges, including racketeering conspiracy.
The Brooklyn-based rapper and associate of the notorious street gang, Nine Trey Gangsta
Bloods, faces a minimum of 47 years in prison.
He's lobbied for a lighter sentence by turning evidence on everyone and anyone who's ever
been allegedly involved with the gang, including fellow rappers Cardi B and Jim Jones.
Since snitches don't tend to fare well in prison, Tekashi got himself out of Brooklyn's
Metropolitan Detention Center, where he was reportedly threatened.
He transferred to a federal facility that's known for housing cooperating witnesses, though
his attorney told TMZ that he didn't request removal and wasn't scared.
TMZ also reported that he rejected the witness protection program, which would've probably
required a hefty laser tattoo removal bill.
In 2016, rapper Bobby Shmurda was sentenced to seven years in prison after accepting a
plea deal for conspiracy and weapons-related charges.
Though his ride in prison hasn't been easy, he's reportedly maintaining a positive attitude,
at least if you ask his mom.
After she visited him in July 2018, she posted a jailhouse photo of him on Instagram and
noted in the caption,
"He is maintaining great spirits and will be home before you know it!!!!!"
According to TMZ, Shmurda's time behind bars has been fraught with friction.
He's allegedly tallied 11 violations, including drug possession, fighting, and possessing
a shank.
Bossip reported that in 2017 an inmate tried to stab him, but Shmurda managed to escape
the attack.
After the incident, he was reportedly transferred to a New York facility near Canada that's
affectionately been dubbed "Little Siberia," as it's cold and remote.
The rapper will reportedly stay in protective custody for the rest of his sentence.
WikiLeaks' infamous editor-in-chief Julian Assange is wanted all over the world.
He's currently being held at Belmarsh Prison in London after jumping bail by going into
hiding at the Ecuadorian Embassy.
Though he was meant to be released in September 2019 following a 50-week jail term, he's considered
a flight risk, so he's being held while he awaits extradition to the United States.
Assange's jail stay doesn't sound particularly pleasant.
The Independent Monitoring Board for Belmarsh reports that there are 120 gangs in the prison,
and attacks have risen by 50 percent in 2019.
Some of these attacks used makeshift weapons crafted from things like bedding, cutlery,
and pencil sharpeners.
Nonetheless, Assange probably doesn't have to worry about prisoner-on-prisoner violence,
because it sounds like he's not getting a lot of human interaction.
He's reportedly been held in solitary confinement for significant portions of the day, with
WikiLeaks' editor-in-chief revealing that Assange has spent 23 or 24 hours per day in
his cell.
"That is what we call, in general terms, solitary confinement.
That's unacceptable."
Phil Spector
Music producer Phil Spector was known for creating the "wall of sound," but today, he
sits in silence.
In 2014, the Mirror reported that he had lost the ability to speak and was transferred to
the California Health Care Facility, which houses some of the sickest inmates in the
state.
Spector was sentenced to 19 years to life back in 2009 for ending the life of Lana Clarkson.
The producer's health has allegedly deteriorated to the point that he communicates through
handwritten letters with his lawyer, who describes Spector as "very frail."
Spector's decades-younger wife, Rachelle, whom he married in 2006 while he was on bail
and awaiting trial, apparently took the vows "in sickness and in health" very seriously.
She told the Los Angeles Times back in 2010 that she visits him every weekend.
However, it's unclear if she's still dropping by on the regular, considering that he filed
for divorce in 2016 after she blew through a huge chunk of his $35 million fortune.
Perhaps that's why, in May 2019, he successfully petitioned to reduce her spousal support payments.
For famed music mogul Suge Knight, prison is anything but sweet.
Health problems have been an ongoing issue since he was arrested in connection to a hit-and-run
death in 2015, and he's blamed prison conditions for his worsening well-being.
Also in 2015, he collapsed during a court hearing, and two years later, he was treated
for blood clots.
Though Knight has reportedly been held in solitary confinement and banned from having
phone calls and visitors, that doesn't necessarily mean he's been totally alone.
He's alleged that law enforcement and prosecutors have secretly listened in on meetings he's
had with his lawyers.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to jailhouse drama, as two of his
attorneys have been indicted for witness tampering.
In September 2018, Knight was sentenced to 28 years in prison after accepting a plea
deal.
Then in 2019, his son, Suge Jacob Knight, told People Magazine that his father's health
was improving and that he was actually happy behind bars.
"How is your pops doin'?"
"Keepin' his head up."
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