Tag: Jails and Prisons

Sean Diddy Combs
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Diddy Scandal: A Look Into Jail Conduct For The Mainstream

on October 31, 2024

INTRODUCTION

After being indicted on September 17th, 2024, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, a household name in hip-hop and a three-time Grammy Award winner, faces a sex trafficking, racketeering, conspiracy, and prostitution trial on May 5th, 2025 (ABC News; United States of America v. Sean Combs). Prosecutors say he orchestrated a decades-long “criminal enterprise” where he and others forced women into sexual encounters with prostitutes, called “freak-offs,” through the use of drugs along with physical and sexual abuse. Diddy pleaded not guilty and his defense attorneys proposed a $50 million bail package that the judge denied (AP News).

While we wait for his trial to start, let’s take a moment to learn about Diddy’s history and jail protocols, with insight provided by Joseph E. Gunja, an Experts.com member and Jails—Prison—Correctional Facilities expert.

BACKSTORY: DIDDY’S PAST ALTERCATIONS

TIMELINE

Throughout his career, Diddy has been associated with a slew of violence and grave misbehavior. He was not charged for some of these situations. However, here are some examples of his most notable misconduct from a timeline provided by Rolling Stone:

  • 1991 CCNY Tragedy: A celebrity basketball game Diddy co-promoted at City College of New York ended in 9 deaths and 29 injuries. The number of attendees exceeded the capacity limit, and the security he hired could not manage the crowd. As a result, Combs settled numerous lawsuits from the victims’ families from 1991-2000.
  • 1998 Steve Stoute Attack: Stoute accidentally sent MTV a version of the “Hate Me Now” music video depicting Combs as Jesus Christ being crucified. Combs wanted the scene deleted and was angry that it aired. He and two other men attacked Stoute with a champagne bottle. Along with attending a one-day anger management session, he received second-degree assault and criminal mischief charges.
  • 2019 Gina Huynh Claims Abuse: Combs’ ex-girlfriend Gina Huynh reported to Tasha K, a blogger, that Diddy physically assaulted her during their five-year relationship. For example, she stated he stomped her stomach and punched the back of her head. Huynh also told Tasha K that Diddy’s circle perpetuated the abuse and did nothing to stop it.

At this point, Combs has not faced any significant consequences for his actions. However, that all changed in 2023.

Sean Diddy Combs and ex-girlfriend Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura

KEY MOMENTS LEADING TO THE DIDDY TRIAL

On November 16th, 2023, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, filed a federal lawsuit against him. The lawsuit detailed physical abuse, intimidation, coerced sex with male escorts while he watched, and rape in 2018. Ventura added another accusation that Combs was responsible for causing Kid Cudi’s car, another famous rapper, to explode back in 2012 to prevent him from pursuing Ventura romantically. Kid Cudi validated the allegation (New York Times). To counter Ventura, Combs claimed she attempted to blackmail him for $30 million before the lawsuit. He and Ventura settled for an unknown amount the following day. Undoubtedly, her lawsuit catalyzed other women, colleagues, and critics to share their stories and corroborate his misdeeds (Billboard).

  • November 23rd – December 6th, 2023: Three women sued Diddy for physical abuse, drugging, and rape within a week and a half after settling Ventura’s lawsuit.
  • December 7th, 2023: Singer-songwriter and activist Tiffany Red wrote a letter to Combs in Rolling Stone. She corroborated Ventura’s claims detailing events she witnessed at Ventura’s 29th birthday party in 2015. Lastly, Red accounts for how she tried to intervene and felt helpless.
  • May 17th, 2024: A 2016 surveillance footage resurfaced depicting Diddy physically assaulting Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway. The altercation resembled an allegation Ventura made in her lawsuit last November. According to LA Country District Attorney, George Gascon, “If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately, we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted.”
  • September 17th, 2024: Police found 1,000 bottles of baby oil while searching Diddy’s New York residence. A month later, a lawsuit made by another Jane Doe alleged the baby oil, and other lubricants, were laced with GHB (Rohypnol) to drug women for his “freak offs” (E! Online).
Jail cell, where Diddy waits for trial.

JAIL PROCEDURES FOR THE MAINSTREAM

Expert Insight

Presently, Diddy is in jail waiting for his trial to start. Joseph E. Gunja, a Jails/Prisons/Correctional Facilities expert, has graciously opined on jail and prison protocol for high-profile inmates.

Before I delve into the procedures, a distinction between jails and prisons must be included. Jails are under local law enforcement agencies or correctional department supervision. They are for inmates who temporarily await trial and sentencing dates. Mr. Gunja notes that the staff overseeing the inmates receive annual 40-hour training related to their job description. State and federal entities oversee prisons. People go to prison for longer sentences, usually related to more serious crimes. Essentially, Diddy is temporarily in jail, and depending on the outcome of his trial, he may be sent to prison for a longer sentence.

According to Mr. Gunja, “Combs will not be treated any differently than other inmates.” The jail protocols apply to everyone regardless of social and economic status. Regarding visitation, Diddy is allowed to have social visitors, which are set by the staff. Alexandra Shapiro, his attorney of record, can visit as many times as necessary.

Aside from his current legal scandal, Diddy is constantly in the news and media given his celebrity status. Mr. Gunja states that jails “respond to the media inquiry with consultations with the regional Public Information Officer and Central Office Public Information Officer.” Lastly, some inmates may need constant supervision, as Diddy did last month when he was on suicide watch (NBC News). Mr. Gunja states that suicide watch must have the approval of a psychologist or other mental health professional.

CONCLUSION

Since Diddy’s legal scandal is ongoing, and the trial will not happen until next year, we will continue to discuss different aspects of his case with insight from various expert witnesses. A special thank you to Mr. Joseph E. Gunja for opining on jail procedures for high-profile inmates. Please stay tuned for the upcoming ‘Diddy Scandal’ blog post.

Criminal JusticeJails and PrisonsLitigation

MDC Brooklyn – Prison Expert Witness on Policies During Freezing Temperatures

on February 5, 2019

On Friday night, February 2, 2019, my Twitter feed exploded with news of the “power outage” at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn. There were protesters and news stories trending about inmate health and safety.

It appears the New York Times broke the story, with the headline “No Heat for Days at a Jail in Brooklyn Where Hundreds of Inmates Are Sick and Frantic.” The frantic nature of the story was certainly increased by the protesters outside the facility advocating for inmate rights. Additionally, we were at the tail end of an incredibly cold week, referred to as the “Polar Vortex.” So, the stars had aligned for an uncomfortable and scary incident for those incarcerated. I’m certain I’d experience fear in the same circumstance.

As the New York Times reported, most of the accounts were described to them by Federal Public Defenders who represent the inmates. The inmates were limited in communication with the outside world, but were able to communicate with defense counsel in some instances. It appears heat was the primary complaint, although there were claims of limited hot water access.

In the article above there seems to be a disagreement between different stakeholders (i.e. warden, union officials, public defenders, and inmates) as to whether there was an electrical or heating problem and which one was causing the problem. For our purposes, the cause of the event does not matter. We’re interested in response.

On Monday, February 4th, a lawsuit was filed against the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) and warden, as described in this article from NBCNews, “claiming the jail kept inmates in “inhumane” and unconstitutional conditions during a dangerously cold week.”

Did you expect a lawsuit would not be filed? This is a legal blog. Of course a lawsuit was filed. Many questions arise. Was the treatment inhumane? Was it as frigid in the facility as reported? Did prison officials fail to provide humane care? It is hard to say from the publicly reported facts. We are unlikely to know, until a FBOP investigation is completed and/or discovery made public.

Nevertheless, I thought it would be helpful for us to get a better understanding of jail and prison policies and procedures from a correctional expert witness.

Jail Management Expert Witness Donald Leach:

Donald L. Leach, II, is a Jail / Corrections Management expert with over 30 years of experience. He has 20 years of consulting experience on jail management issues nationally, focusing on Risk Management for jails and jail operational methodology. Mr. Leach has served as an expert witness for 5 years, in both State and Federal court. His services are available to counsel for both Plaintiff and Defense and include case review, testimony, and consultation for jail and prison issues. You can learn more about his practice at: https://www.dlleach.me/.

As I often do, I posed several questions to Mr. Leach, and he provided answers to those questions. I have posted them verbatim below.

Nick: Are there health and safety requirements for jails/prisons when experiencing inclement weather?

Mr. Leach: The same requirements for providing humane living conditions exist regardless of weather. The Court has not specified what those conditions have to be, unless addressing an individualized case, but they have to fall within a general range of adequate conditions of confinement. This is in a normal situation. When inclement weather, such as the cold hits, then more leeway is typically given because it involves a relatively short period of time.

Nick: Do jails/prisons have policies and procedures in place for responding to a loss of electricity/heat?

Mr. Leach: More likely than not, FBOP has policies and procedures for managing the loss of electricity and heat. These are generally short-term events and are addressed as such. A close reading of the news articles coming out indicates that while conditions may be unpleasant they are far from life threatening. Depending on the facility design, adequate light may be obtained from natural sources-such as daylight. Evening hours may involve the use of lanterns placed in common areas. Again, these are typically short term events and like you address them when the lights at home go out, jails and prisons have similar policies. Additionally, I would be surprised to find that there are no emergency generators that provide general lighting and power life safety systems.

Nick: Assuming a lack of heat and electricity occurs in a jail/prison, while temperatures outside are below freezing, how should correctional personnel address the issue?

Mr. Leach: I would recommend issuing extra blankets, sheets. If additional clothing is available for issuance, provide that. If the weather has not significantly impacted commerce, then possibly an emergency purchase of thermal tops and bottoms. Extra materials would be issued to the female inmates who seem to suffer from the cold more than the males.

Nick: There were concerns about certain at-risk inmates (elderly and those with medical needs). How would you address medical concerns in a similar situation?

Mr. Leach: The administrator may have to consider temporarily transferring those inmates to neighboring facilities. We would do this on a regular and common enough basis, lasting only until the situation is rectified. Agencies will typically work together to overcome these situations. Today it’s freezing temps but tomorrow it may be plumbing!

Nick: Based only on the publicly available reporting (i.e. NYTimes & ABAJournal), what recommendations would you have for other institutions who may face similar issues in the future?

Mr. Leach: There has to be some prior planning for emergency situations such as this. A general outline of actions to take would be appropriate. The details would be decided based upon available resources and issues. For example, you can plan on transferring the elderly and medically fragile but what if the roads are closed. Keeping a stock of emergency supplies, such as extra blankets may be appropriate, or in dry areas it may be pallets of water. This is going to be geographically determined.

There it is folks! I’ll try to be ahead of the curve on the next major story to likely result in litigation.