How are prison officials working to keep Ghislaine Maxwell alive?

A year ago, Jeffrey Epstein died in prison awaiting trial for the crimes he allegedly committed against underage girls. While the death was ruled a suicide there aren’t many people in the world who seem to believe this – even President Trump seems to be a bit skeptical. Both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell had ties to a laundry list of famous & influential people in the world including royalty, politicians, and entertainers.

Maxwell has been widely considered to be Jeffrey Epstein’s right hand woman. The two were close both personally and professionally ever since the early 1990s. As such, she was arrested earlier this summer for multiple crimes including the sex trafficking of minors for Epstein’s pleasure. She has pleaded not guilty.

However, it seems those keeping an eye on her in prison are more than a little concerned about her welfare – here are the things they’re doing in the name of protecting her.

Anti-suicide smock

Despite the fact Maxwell has no previous history of being suicidal she’s currently under suicide watch. Meaning the prison facility she’s being held in is enacting a number of protective measures.

This includes “special clothing”. While the clothing she’s being forced to wear is not specified, they are likely referring to a not-so-fashionable piece of attire called the “anti-suicide smock”. It’s a single piece of slightly padded clothing which looks somewhat like a dress. It can easily be torn off thanks to a velcro seam – likely for the potential event the person wearing it needs medical attention.

This smock is commonly used for suicide watch inmates.

Isolation, but no privacy

Ghislaine Maxwell is apparently also being held separately from the rest of the prison’s general population. Despite this Maxwell has no privacy whatsoever at the moment. She is reportedly surveilled by video cameras 24/7.

Her phone conversations are being monitored & notes are being taken on what is said. Plus, Maxwell is being woken up every few hours while she sleeps at night – likely to ensure she is, in fact, still alive.

Meanwhile, during the day, Ghislaine Maxwell’s cell is purportedly being searched multiple times, and is subjected to body scans.

Maxwell’s lawyers aren’t happy

Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers are less than pleased with how their client has been treated. They stated that they believed her treatment was merely a reaction to the events surrounding Jeffrey Epstein (whose death took place while guards were asleep & surveillance cameras suddenly had technical difficulties).

They believe her treatment is unfair and worse than how other inmates awaiting trial are treated. Her lawyers disagree with fact Maxwell has been treated as if she’s a potential suicide risk because, “she, unlike Mr. Epstein, has never been suicidal and was never diagnosed as exhibiting risk factors for suicide”.

The lawyers also believe her sixth amendment right to participate in her own defense is being infringed – they’re likely referring to her monitored phone calls with this claim. They say her ability to prepare for trial – which is set to begin in July of next year – is being hurt.

Is it fair?

The general public is practically rabid to see Ghislaine Maxwell go to trial, partially because they’re not entirely convinced she’s going to live to see the day. They believe Jeffrey Epstein was killed & that the same people who had him killed probably want her out of the picture too, for fear she’ll drag them down with her.

However, Epstein’s death was officially ruled as a suicide. So the grounds for keeping Maxwell under heavy surveillance are flimsy at best. It’s understandable she would be less than thrilled at being woken up every few hours & being searched periodically throughout the day – especially since she’s used to living a luxurious & private life.

Despite all of this, there are major concerns about Maxwell’s well being while she awaits her trial in prison. If her restrictions are lifted because of her lawyers’ complaints, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the hashtag, which was used the day of her arrest, #MaxwellDidntKillHerself, resurfaced on Twitter.