Inside Rikers Island, the jail ‘ready’ to receive Trump after guilty verdict

Donald Trump could be facing a stint behind bars after being the first US President to be convicted of a crime. New York City’s Democratic mayor, Eric Adams, has even stated that Rikers Island would be “ready” for Trump if he ends up being incarcerated.

The bombshell hush money trial, which has gripped the nation with its explosive testimonies over recent weeks, marks just the first of four criminal trials the presidential hopeful is embroiled in. Trump, already in the books as the first ex-president to face criminal charges, is now balancing his campaign efforts with court appearances as the November presidential election looms closer.

With his conviction, he’s written another chapter in history, awaiting sentencing.

Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, each count potentially leading to four years in prison. These charges stem from payments made to his former attorney Michael Cohen, who paid off adult film actress Stormy Daniels to silence her claims of an affair, which they feared could tarnish his 2016 campaign for president.

READ MORE: What are the 34 counts against Donald Trump? Former president found guilty in hush money trial

Throughout the 15-day trial, which did not feature Trump testifying and saw 20 witnesses take the stand for the prosecution, the real estate tycoon maintained his innocence. He consistently denounced the proceedings as a “witch hunt” on Truth Social and declared outside the courtroom: “They have no case. There is no crime.”, reports the Mirror US.

Following Trump’s conviction, Adams has stated that both Rikers Island jail and the Department of Corrections are “ready” to accommodate him, marking a potential first for an ex-President to be incarcerated.

Rikers Island, one of the most infamous jails in the US, would likely be Trump’s destination if he were to be imprisoned. The dire conditions at Rikers Island prompted the New York City Council to vote for its closure in 2019, aiming to replace it with four smaller, more humane jails not located on an island in the East River.

Despite the August 2027 deadline to shut down the jail, a senior official admitted in March that meeting this legal requirement seems improbable. Currently, Rikers Island is home to about 6,200 inmates, while the new jails are intended to house approximately 3,300 individuals.

A significant movement in New York is demanding the closure of Rikers Island, where nine detainees died in custody in 2023, as reported by a dashboard from city comptroller Brad Lander’s office, which labelled the city’s jails as “a moral stain on the city”.

Shocking images have emerged from inside the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on Rikers Island, revealing the dire conditions during the Covid pandemic. Up to 26 men were squeezed into temporary holding cells, resorting to using plastic sheets as blankets, cardboard for beds, and plastic bags as makeshift toilets.

A source from the Department of Correction disclosed to the New York Post that inmates were crammed into a gym whenever the jail was overflowing or when officials visited. “It was inhumane…” the source lamented. “They’re not supposed to be there that long, the intake is just a place to process the inmates.”

They continued, highlighting the helplessness of the situation: “And the sad thing about it is… you couldn’t do anything about it, it was all management. They knew what was going on and they did nothing.”

Should former President Trump find himself at Rikers, it is anticipated that the Secret Service would play a role in his protection. While the Secret Service has refrained from commenting on specific security arrangements, their involvement would be essential.

“Under federal law, the United States Secret Service must provide protection for current government leaders, former Presidents and First Ladies, visiting heads of state and other individuals designated by the President of the United States,” the agency explained. “For all settings around the world, we study locations and develop comprehensive and layered protective models that incorporate state-of-the-art technology, protective intelligence and advanced security tactics to safeguard our protectees. Beyond that, we do not comment on specific protective operations.”

However, despite the Secret Service’s involvement, Trump is expected to receive “no special treatment,” an expert has claimed.

Mike Lawlor, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven, told the Daily Mail: “There will be no special treatment or privilege for a former politician.”

“He is just like everybody else, will be subject to strip searches, have a prison uniform bed which is not comfortable and if and when incarcerated, he will have to deal with it. I don’t think they’ll make an exception for him. He’s the one who in front of a bunch of cops said don’t be too nice to these guys when you arrest them.”

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