Why won’t prosecutors take Ghislaine Maxwell out of isolation?

Last week, Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorneys asked to move their client to the general population. Since her arrest in July, Ghislaine Maxwell has been kept in solitary confinement. Reports also say she was just taken off suicide watch. 

Ghislaine Maxwell is awaiting trial for multiple counts of sex trafficking and two counts of perjury. These charges are related to her alleged part in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring. Maxwell pleaded not guilty and maintains her innocence. 

Jeffrey Epstein’s victims say otherwise. Many who came forward claim Ghislaine Maxwell not only recruited them when they were underage, she also participated in their abuse. According to victims, Maxwell blackmailed them into compliance and gaslit them into thinking the abuse was normal. 

Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrest & bail hearing

Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on July 3 by the FBI. She was extradited from Vermont, where she lived in secret for nearly a year, to the Metropolitan Detention Facility in New York. Maxwell requested bail under the conditions she would stay in a five-star hotel in New York. 

At Ghislaine Maxwell’s bail hearing, the prosecution argued that she was a flight risk. As a holder of three passports with millions of dollars at her disposal, the prosecution argued that Maxwell could leave the country and never come back. 

Also, since Maxwell was a French national, she could go to France and the French government wouldn’t extradite her. With these points considered, the judge denied Ghislaine Maxwell’s bail. 

Why is Ghislaine Maxwell in solitary confinement? 

Ghislaine Maxwell was originally kept in solitary confinement for two reasons. First, like Jeffrey Epstein, she was considered a suicide risk. Her first days in the MDC consisted of only being allowed suicide-proof paper clothes. Maxwell was also watched 24/7 and woken up every few hours by guards. 

Secondly, Ghislaine Maxwell is kept in solitary due to safety concerns. Ghislaine Maxwell’s case is high profile, so other inmates know who she is. They also know Maxwell is accused of harming children. Her sex trafficking charges paint a target on her back in U.S. prison culture. 

Why do Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers want her in gen pop? 

Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers argue that Maxwell’s confinement in solitary is unnecessary and interferes with her rights to counsel & a fair trial. They argue that the only reason she was put in solitary was that her case is being treated like Jeffrey Epstein’s. 

Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers claim that Maxwell isn’t a suicide risk, nor is she a safety risk to other inmates. Therefore, they claim solitary confinement isn’t warranted. They also cite a lack of privacy, including random body searches, and hindrance to accessing counsel for Maxwell. 

In solitary, Ghislaine Maxwell is monitored by guards who can allegedly listen in to her conversations with her lawyers. These guards also change, so Maxwell claims they may not be official DOC solitary guards. Her access to contact is also apparently limited to an hour a day during her recreation time. 

Are there any other demands Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team is making? 

Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team claims that Maxwell doesn’t want “special treatment.” She only requests that she be treated like every other prisoner in detention. The legal team says there’s no basis for Maxwell’s treatment. They claim it’s worse than other inmates in her situation. 

Outside of the general population request, Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team also filed to reveal the names of Maxwell’s accusers. The prosecution will only release their birth dates, fearing that if Maxwell has accomplices, the victims will face retaliation. Maxwell’s defense team argues that she has the right to know who her accusers are. 

Covering their tracks after Epstein’s suicide? 

It’s also possible that the MDC is covering their actions in case Ghislaine Maxwell does die by suicide. Their monitoring of Jeffrey Epstein was bungled, from losing the security footage to allowing him to be alone with bedsheets he could hang himself with. 

The incompetence of Epstein’s monitoring led to conspiracy theories that Epstein didn’t kill himself that persist a year later. Authorities may also be concerned that if Ghislaine Maxwell is harmed, the public will further believe there is a sex trafficking conspiracy in the U.S. involving the elite.