Jussie Smollett will be in protective custody during his time in jail.
A judge sentenced Jussie Smollett to 150 days behind bars on Thursday (March 10). The Empire actor received jail time for lying to police about a fake hate crime.
Jussie Smollett is serving his sentence at the Cook County Jail in Chicago. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said solitary confinement was abolished at the jail in 2016.
“Mr. Smollett is being housed in his own cell, which is monitored by security cameras in the cell and by an officer wearing a body-worn camera who is stationed at the entrance of the cell to ensure that Mr. Smollett is under direct observation at all times,” the Cook County Sheriff’s Office noted in a press statement.
Other inmates won’t be allowed in the jail’s common areas when Jussie Smollett is out of his cell.
“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 Cook County Sheriff’s Office explained.
Jussie Smollett maintained his innocence during an outburst at his sentencing. He also insisted he’s not suicidal.
“I did not do this, and I am not suicidal,” he said at the hearing. “If anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself, and you must all know that.”
