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Ghislaine Maxwell 'made to wear paper clothes' in New York jail over suicide fears

The British socialite is being held by the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn far extend the usual measures taken for inmates, according to the Associated Press.  - Getty
The British socialite is being held by the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn far extend the usual measures taken for inmates, according to the Associated Press. - Getty

Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime associate and onetime girlfriend of disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein, has been made to wear paper clothes in her prison cell in New York, so worried are officials that she might take her own life.

Ms Maxwell was arrested by the FBI last Thursday on charges she helped lure at least three girls, one as young as 14, to be sexually abused by Epstein. She denies the charges.

The steps taken by the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn far extend the usual measures taken for inmates, according to the Associated Press.

The Justice Department has reportedly implemented additional safety protocols in the event Ms Maxwell, 58, tries to harm herself, or in case other inmates wish to harm her. Guards must also ensure she has a roommate in her cell and is being monitored at all times.

Home to around 1,600 inmates, both male and female, the high-rise building is wedged between the Brooklyn waterfront and an expressway with high security and limited space for recreational activities.   - AP
Home to around 1,600 inmates, both male and female, the high-rise building is wedged between the Brooklyn waterfront and an expressway with high security and limited space for recreational activities. - AP

Ms Maxwell is due to appear remotely before a Manhattan court on Tuesday, where her application for bail will be heard.

Ghislaine's lawyer has filed her first response to the charges, describing them as "meritless"

The concern comes in part because Epstein, 66, killed himself in a jail in Manhattan last summer while in custody on sex trafficking charges.

The Bureau of Prisons has been the subject of intense scrutiny and conspiracy theories since then, with staff shake ups and leadership changes. William Barr, the US Attorney General, said his death was the result of the "perfect storm of screw ups."

Two prison guards on duty the night of Epstein’s reported suicide are accused of falsifying official logs to show they made cell checks they never did. The indictment also accused them of apparently sleeping on the job and casually surfing the Internet in the hours before Epstein’s body was found,

The Brooklyn jail, whose most notable former inmates include the actress Alison Mack and the singer R Kelly, has previously earned a reputation as one of the worst federal jails in the US owing to a string of investigations into prisoner abuse and its poor conditions.

Epstein's prison cell in Manhattan, where he committed suicide last August - 60 Minutes
Epstein's prison cell in Manhattan, where he committed suicide last August - 60 Minutes

Home to around 1,600 inmates, both male and female, the high-rise building is wedged between the Brooklyn waterfront and an expressway with high security and limited space for recreational activities.

In 2016 a judge expressed reluctance about sending women to the jail because, she said, its conditions made it sound like it was in “some third-world country.”

Under the prison system's coronavirus protocols, Ms Maxwell, who could face a 35-year sentence, is currently undergoing a 14-day quarantine due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Five inmates and six staff members are currently reported to have the virus. A further eight inmates and 35 staff members previously diagnosed have recovered from the disease.