Where has the former police officer who killed George Floyd been staying since his conviction?
Where's he likely to spend the next 20 years? And
are other inmates a security risk for him? Keep watching for the answers.
If you were following the news in 2020, one of the dominant stories of the summer was the
death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man killed in Minneapolis by then-police officer
Derek Chauvin. Video showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes,
even as Floyd continued to insist that he couldn't breathe.
If you haven't heard the story, on May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police received
a call from a convenience store alleging that Floyd, who was 46, purchased cigarettes with a
counterfeit $20 bill. When officers arrived on scene minutes later, the situation escalated,
resulting in Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck while bystanders videoed the incident.
The video of Floyd's death sparked international outrage.
The Minneapolis Police Department fired all four officers who were on scene.
Prosecutors later announced that Chauvin was facing third-degree murder
and second-degree manslaughter charges, with a second-degree murder charge added later.
"This is by far the fastest we've ever charged a police officer."
Chauvin was held in police custody for several months following his arrest. According to Insider,
Chauvin was housed at the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Oak Park Heights,
where there was a segregation facility that could keep him safe from other inmates.
Chauvin is at heightened risk of violence from other inmates because he's a former
police officer and convicted murderer at the center of an extremely high-profile crime.
Chavin received a conditional release in October 2020, NBC News reported. Given the attention and
the anger surrounding the case, a judge ruled that Chauvin was permitted to leave Minnesota,
citing evidence of safety concerns that had been raised by the state's Department of Corrections.
But in April 2021, Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts against him. In June of that year,
Chauvin was sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in prison for his role in Floyd's death,
and according to Minnesota law, will spend at least 15 years of that sentence behind bars.
Following his conviction in 2021, Minnesota authorities made the decision to keep him
at the Oak Park Heights facility since he required segregation and there was
already such a unit there. A spokesperson said at the time,
in regards to Chauvin being transferred to another prison in St. Cloud,
"Since he was already at Oak Park Heights and was going to stay there,
it would have not made sense to bring him up to St. Cloud."
According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections website, "Administrative
Control" facilities such as the one in Oak Park Heights are not intended to be punitive,
but to protect the inmates. In such facilities, guards check in on inmates at least once every
30 minutes and inmates get regular mental health evaluations. Reading materials
and personal correspondence are allowed unless they're deemed to be a safety risk.
The Associated Press reported that Chauvin's 10-foot-by-10-foot cell had white cinderblock
walls, a metal toilet and sink, and narrow windows. He's allowed out to exercise,
alone, about an hour each day. He's also allowed up to three non-contact visits each week.
In 2022, Chauvin also pleaded guilty to federal charges for violating the civil
rights of Floyd and a 14-year-old boy. In July, he was sentenced to an additional 21
years in prison for those charges. Both sentences will be served concurrently.
According to ABC News, Chauvin requested, as a condition of his plea, that he be incarcerated
in a federal prison rather than a Minnesota state prison. As a result of this request,
Chauvin is required to spend more time behind bars. The deal specified that the
minimum time he would spend in a federal prison was 20 years,
as opposed to the 15 years he would have had to spend in a state prison.
While this would seem like an unusual request, legal experts believe
Chauvin sought this option because it's believed federal prisons are safer than
their state level counterparts. Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor,
also noted overcrowding as a potential reason for the request. Rahmani said,
"There are many reasons for that. They're just managed better by the Bureau of Prisons,
where state and local jails just are not."
Rahmani added in an interview with the Law & Crime network,
“Derek Chauvin doesn't want to see some of his old friends in Minnesota state prison."
According to NPR, Chauvin's state conviction is under appeal.
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