Weinstein found himself in an even more serious legal situation when he was sentenced to an additional 16 years for another rape. “Please don’t sentence me to life in prison,” Weinstein implored the judge. “I don’t deserve it.”
Many asked to differ. The Hollywood heavyweight’s predatory behavior and penchant for sexually assaulting women was an open secret in the movie world for decades, and Weinstein’s guilty verdicts were widely celebrated. The 2020 sentence was overturned in April 2024 after a court determined he did not receive a fair trial. Yet the 2023 conviction stands and he still languishes behind bars awaiting a retrial.
People were eager to know what Weinstein’s prison life would be like: Would he enjoy a comfortable, Club-fed-style setting or would he be forced to live through hard times? Opinions were divided before the sentence was pronounced. However, it soon became clear that the disgraced über-producer was headed for the latter. In fact, it turned out that in reality, Weinstein’s life in prison would be even worse than anyone thought.
From Weinstein to inmate 06581138Z
Harvey Weinstein is languishing behind bars at the famous Rikers Island. Inmate number 06581138Z is detained in the West Institution. The New York Department of Corrections’ inmate search service lists him as 6 feet tall and 250 pounds, with gray hair and brown eyes. According to the DOC website, West Institution, opened in 1991, consists of single-cell units, some of which house inmates with contagious diseases.
Weinstein’s life on the inside is far from rosy. Rikers has a bad reputation for a very good reason. 15 inmates have died in 2021 alone; at least six of them committed suicide. A July 2023 report found the facility was overcrowded, understaffed, unsafe, dirty and teeming with cockroaches, mice and ants, among other vermin. “We’ve seen showers covered in mold, inches of soap scum, little sewer flies coming out of the drains, and these are areas where people will try to clean themselves,” said Legal’s Veronica Vela Aid Society at CBS News.
“There’s no (correctional officers), they’re not feeding people, there’s no water, no showers, no phone calls. There are people there who haven’t showered in two weeks or more,” a former inmate told Curbed in September 2021. “You barely eat; they don’t care. There were people in the cells who were having convulsions, and they just left them there. I was in a cell with around thirty other people. You could be sleeping, and they would spray mace or bang on the cells for no reason, just to wake you up.
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No VIP treatment for Weinstein
It’s safe to say that Harvey Weinstein isn’t living la dolce vita at Rikers Island. He led a relatively quiet life in Bellevue Hospital’s intensive care unit, where he was admitted in April 2024 after his 2020 conviction was overturned. He had his own private room with an en suite bathroom , a dedicated telephone line and a television. According to The City, Weinstein spent his days lazing in bed watching CNN, chatting with his lawyers and ordering Pepsi.
“He’s a sick man,” his lawyer insisted. “Harvey has multiple health issues and he has never received the level of care he received prior to his incarceration.” However, after doctors evaluated him, they determined that Weinstein did not need specialized treatment for the “constant chest and abdominal pain” that his legal team insisted caused him. was suffering. So, he was sent straight back to Rikers a few days later.
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However, chest pain or no chest pain, Weinstein is dealing with an extremely painful problem: his teeth are rotting. “I suffer every day. I have cavities and I can’t eat because I’m missing teeth,” Weinstein told a judge in September 2022 (via the New York Post). The disgraced film mogul begged the court to allow him to pay for private dental treatment because the Prison Service would simply pull out rotten teeth – just like other inmates must suffer.