Prison Hell! The Dangerous Lock Up Harvey Weinstein Could Spend His Final Days In
Feb. 25 2020, Updated 10:52 p.m. ET
Harvey Weinstein is set to spend the next few months in what is known as one the most notorious prisons in the country — Rikers Island.
Weinstein, 67, was found guilty on Monday, February 24, on two of the five sexual assault charges penned against him.
The disgraced movie mogul was held accountable on one count of first-degree criminal sexual act against former production assistant, Mimi Haley, and one count of third-degree rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann.
But he was found not guilty of the most serious charges — two counts of predatory sexual assault.
Now, Weinstein is set to return to the New York City prison to await his sentence following his release from the hospital after telling officials he had been experiencing chest pains.
Rapes, murders, overcrowding, gross meals, harsh treatment and several hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against Rikers Island — a maximum security prison.
In 2019 alone, one woman was awarded $500,000 in a settlement after accusing two Rikers Island guards of sexually assaulting her. Separately, a man was awarded nearly one million after a lawsuit alleged that he was brutally beaten and left for dead in solitary confinement.
Rikers Island has been nicknamed Gladiator School, Torture Island, the Guantánamo of New York and, in summertime, the Oven.
Scroll through the RadarOnline.com gallery to find out more about Weinstein's new home and what he is expected to endure.
Harvey Weinstein trial, New York, USA – 24 Feb 2020
In July 2018, inmate Artemio Rosa, who had been arrested at least 36 times for different crimes, laid his hands around another inmate’s neck and choked him until he died, police said.
NYC Corrections, New York, USA
Manuel Rivera, who was 18 at the time, and who was involved in the gang killing of a Bronx teen, (Junior) Guzman-Feliz was slashed in the face by a rival gang member, according to internal city Correction Department records.
NYC Corrections, New York, USA
In October 2019, New York City lawmakers voted to shut down Rikers Island following the inhumane treatment of inmates. The shut down is expected to take place in 2026. It will be replaced with four smaller and more modern jails located closer to the city’s main courthouses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.
Harvey Weinstein Sex Crimes Trial In New York
“Rikers Island is a symbol of brutality and inhumanity and it is time for us to once and for all close Rikers Island,” said city council speaker, Corey Johnson. “As a city we must do everything we can to move away from the failed policies of mass incarceration.”
NYC Corrections, New York, USA
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A 2014 Associated Press investigation detailed dozens of inmate deaths including that of a homeless ex-marine who essentially baked to death in a hot cell.
A Solitary Story, New York, USA
The most notorious case in the jail’s recent history involved the 16-year-old Kalief Browder, who spent three years at Rikers Island after being accused of stealing a small backpack. The charge was eventually dismissed. Browder was beaten by officers and inmates. After he was released in 2015, he took his own life at age 22.
NYC Jails Violence, New York, USA – 5 Mar 2015
In 2012, a former Rikers Island inmate sued the city for $80 million saying the cafeteria food nearly killed him. Michael Isolda, who had undergone gastric bypass surgery before going to prison, explained the short amount of time they had to eat endangered his digestive system. He claimed inmates only have four minutes to finish their meals.
"For me, Rikers Island is a death sentence," Isolda said in a sworn statement in the lawsuit he filed in Brooklyn Federal Court. "It's not a matter of surviving and worrying about inmates. I have to worry about the food killing me."
NYC Corrections, New York, USA
Overcrowding has been a major concern for the prison guards. On average, more than 9,700 prisoners are on the Island at once, and sometimes the prison would have to squeeze in more than 15,000.
Harvey Weinstein trial in New York, USA – 24 Feb 2020
What's more, the prison is said to have a horrid smell throughout the entire facility. One prison guard told New York Magazine, it was like living in a "sewer." “The Jail has a smell,” one correction officer explained. “I can’t even describe it to you. Worse than a sewer. The island is its own island that people on the outside could never understand.”
NYC Corrections, New York, USA
Weinstein is set to return to court for sentencing on March 11. In the meantime, he awaits his fate at Rikers Island. The Los Angeles District Attorney's office has also told RadarOnline.com they expect to press charges on the former producer as well.