Ghislaine Maxwell’s Lawyers Rally For Better Prison Treatment Amid Suicide Concerns

Ghislaine Maxwell, the former pal of disgraced financier Jeffery Epstein, is under intense surveillance in prison, so say her lawyers. The accused sexual predator is being checked on several times an hour to make sure she is safe from self-inflicted harm.

In a court filing, Maxwell’s lawyers complained that she's forced awake in the middle of the night to make sure she doesn’t endure the same fate as Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019. Guards with flashlights inside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, monitor Maxwell every 15 minutes even though there are cameras surrounding her cell, The New York Post reported.

“Ms. Maxwell has spent the entirely [sic] of her pretrial detention in de facto solitary confinement under the most restrictive conditions where she is excessively and invasively searched and is monitored 24 hours per day,” the filing reads.

“And despite non-stop in-cell camera surveillance, Ms. Maxwell’s sleep is disrupted every 15-minutes when she is awakened by a flashlight to ascertain whether she is breathing.”

The 58-year-old's lawyers also argued that their client is being “overmanaged” compared to other inmates.

“She is overmanaged under conditions more restrictive than inmates housed in 10South, the most restrictive unit in the MCC; or individuals convicted of terrorism and capital murder and incarcerated at FCI Florence ADMAX, the most restrictive facility operated by the BOP,” the filing read.

More recently, Maxwell was placed under quarantine after being in contact with a staffer who tested positive for COVID-19. Maxwell tested negative for the virus but the court filing argues that she experienced questionable treatment while under quarantine.

The letter stated that Maxwell began her quarantine without soap or a toothbrush. During the 21 days that Maxwell was required to isolate, her lawyers claim that guards broke COVID protocols and entered her cell to conduct a search while potentially exposing themselves to the virus. A man also entered her cell to take pictures of her.

“Ms. Maxwell was ordered to remove her COVID-protection mask for an in-mouth inspection, further risking exposure to the virus,” British lawyer Bobbi Sternheim wrote.

Maxwell is currently being held without bail as she awaits trial. She has been charged with grooming and recruiting minors to partake in sexual encounters with Epstein.