Inside 'Inhumane' Rikers Island Jail Said to be 'Ready' for Ex-Prez Donald Trump After Hush Money Convictions

Donald Trump became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime this week when the jury in the Stormy Daniels hush money trial found him guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Sentencing is set for July 11, and New York City's Rikers Island is said to be "ready" for the ex-prez if he does get jail time, RadarOnline.com has learned.

"Our amazing commissioner, she is prepared for whatever comes on Rikers Island. I’m pretty sure she would be prepared to manage and deal with the situation," New York Mayor Eric Adams said earlier this month after Judge Juan Merchan threatened jail time if Trump continued defying the gag order placed on him. "They’re professionals. They’ll be ready."

While Trump may not see any jail time at all, he does face up to four years in prison. If he ends up with a sentence of one year or less, he will likely serve his time on Rikers Island, home to the Department of Correction's seven jails and one of the most notorious correctional institutions in the country.

Rikers has a reputation for violence, abuse, neglect, and poor living conditions. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, The New York Post reported that as many as 26 men were crammed into filthy provisional holding quarters for days on end.

“It was inhumane … They’re not supposed to be there that long, the intake is just a place to process the inmates,” a source told outlet. “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.”

In 2019, the New York City Council voted to close the complex and replace it with several smaller facilities throughout the city, although officials have acknowledged that it will likely not be closed by the legally mandated deadline of August 2027.

If Trump does go to Rikers, the Secret Service — required by law to protect former presidents around the clock — would have to go with him to ensure his safety. Even before the verdict came down, Secret Service members reportedly met with local jail officials to prepare for the possibility of the ex-president being put behind bars.

"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," a Secret Service spokesperson said. "Beyond that, we do not comment on specific protective operations."

Mike Lawlor, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven who previously chaired the House Judiciary Committee from 1995 to 2011 predicted last year that Trump wouldn't receive any "special treatment or privilege" in jail.

"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."

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Will Trump go to prison? Various legal analysts have shared their sentencing predictions. During an appearance on CNN, former Department of Defense special counsel Ryan Goodman said, “I do anticipate that the district attorney will ask for some sentence of incarceration, and I do think that there’s a good likelihood that the judge will impose some sentence of incarceration.”

CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen, argued, “In the most serious FBR [falsifying business records] cases, a sentence of imprisonment is routinely imposed. This is the most serious falsifying business records case in the history of the state of New York. I think Alvin Bragg is gonna ask for a sentence of incarceration and I think Judge Merchan will very seriously weigh that.”

Former prosecutor Mark O’Mara disagreed. “I don’t think he’s gonna put him in jail. I really don’t," he said. "I think the convictions themselves will be enough punishment in this judge’s eyes for this defendant."