Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, alleged to have molested dozens of minors, committed suicide in a New York prison in 2019. Due to many mishaps, it should now be closed.
New York – The controversial maximum security prison in New York, where US millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sex crimes, was found dead in 2019, will be closed, at least temporarily.
This is to ensure that the problems in the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) are resolved as quickly as possible, said the US Department of Justice, according to media reports on Thursday (local time). The rust-colored prison in Manhattan has long been criticized for security breakdowns, irregularities and the conditions of detention – including among inmates and lawyers. A few weeks ago, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco visited the prison to get a personal impression.
The conditions in the MCC had last made major headlines in August 2019: Two guards were assigned to watch over the recently arrested Epstein (66). This is said to have abused dozens of minors and forced them into prostitution. The guards did not check him every half hour as prescribed, but sat at their workplaces or surfed the Internet. They then forged documents to cover up their wrongdoing, according to the indictment. The entrepreneur was found dead in his cell on August 10, according to US authorities it was a suicide.
Prominent inmates also included the convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Mafia boss John Gotti. The current 233 prisoners are to be transferred to other prisons, for example in Brooklyn.
The federal prisons must not only be safe, but also enable inmates to reintegrate into society, the ministry said in a statement. In order to improve the conditions in the MCC “as quickly and efficiently as possible”, the detention center must be closed at least temporarily. dpa
