*New details have emerged about Jussie Smollett’s 150 days in prison.
On Thursday, the disgraced “Empire” star was sentenced to 30 months of probation, 150 days of which must be served in county jail. He has also been ordered to pay a $25,000 dollar fine, and pay over $120,000 dollars of restitution to the City of Chicago after being convicted of staging a hate crime against himself in January 2019.
As reported by local ABC news affiliate, Smollett is housed in his own cell which is under 24/7 surveillance. Per The Blast, a written statement provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office noted that Smollett is “in his own cell, which is monitored by security cameras in the cell and by officers wearing a body camera who is stationed at the entrance of the cell to ensure Mr. Smollett is under direct observation at all times.”
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The statement continues, “Mr. Smollett is not being held in solitary confinement. The use of solitary confinement was abolished in 2016, and any claims that he is being held in this manner is false.”
Per the written statement, Smollett is allowed “substantial time out of his cell in the common areas on the tier where he is housed,” and he is able to “use the telephone, watch television, and interaction with staff.”
When Smollett is out of his cell “other detainees will not be present in the common areas,” the statement added.
“These protocols are routinely used for individuals ordered into protective custody who may potentially be at risk of harm due to the nature of their charges, their profession, or their noteworthy status,” the message concluded. “The safety and security of all detained individuals, including Mr. Smollett, is the Sheriff’s Office’s highest priority.”
Smollett’s lawyers have filed an emergency injunction requesting his release. Legal analysts are not confident that an appeal will be granted in Smollett’s case.
Meanwhile, Smollett’s former “Empire” co-star Taraji P. Henson has come to his defense by calling for his release.
“I am not here to debate you on his innocence but we can agree that the punishment does not fit the crime. Emmett Till was brutally beat and ultimately murdered because of a lie and none of the people involved with his demise spent one day in jail, even after Carolyn Bryant admitted that her claims were false,” she stated.
Henson added, “No one was hurt or killed during Jussie’s ordeal. He has already lost everything, EVERYTHING! To me as an artist not able to create that in itself is punishment enough. He can’t get a job. No one in Hollywood will hire him and again as an artist who loves to create, that is prison.”
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