The federal Bureau of Prisons has bolstered staffing at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, aiming to address significant shortages at the facility where Sean “Diddy” Combs is awaiting trial. Combs, 54, pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges earlier this week. The facility, the only federal jail in New York City, has faced sharp criticism for inadequate conditions, frequent violence, and several inmate deaths. These issues have led some judges to refrain from sending detainees there.
Combs’ attorneys are requesting that he be moved to a New Jersey Essex County facility, citing concerns over MDC Brooklyn’s conditions. Combs is currently in the special housing unit, confined to his cell for up to 23 hours a day with constant monitoring, a standard practice for high-profile inmates, according to his lawyer Marc Agnifilo.
The Bureau of Prisons has assembled an Urgent Action Team to address staffing shortfalls and repair the jail’s troubled environment. Staffing has increased by roughly 20 percent, raising the total number of employees to 469, although 157 positions remain unfilled. Recent hires include correctional and medical staff. Previously, the facility was operating at just over half of its full staffing capacity.
At the same time, the jail’s inmate population has dropped from around 1,600 at the beginning of the year to approximately 1,200. Combs, who once owned a mansion in Alpine, New Jersey, remains in pretrial detention while his legal proceedings continue. Combs sold the home in 2016, and we say, good riddance. But some reports on social media claim to have seen Diddy in Newark, but those reports remain to be fully confirmed.
BREAKING: @Diddy is now spending his days in New York’s most notorious jail, known for its “barbaric conditions.” 300+ grand jury subpoenas later, Diddy can’t wiggle his out of this one. And he’s not the only one… pic.twitter.com/M64EDxQUbh
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) September 19, 2024