R. Kelly's potential suicide tendencies led him to launch a shocking move against the authorities.
R. Kelly's victims somewhat felt relieved after Judge Ann Donnelly announced his prison sentence, which is five years more than the minimum years the prosecutors sought.
"These crimes were calculated and carefully planned and regularly executed for almost 25 years. You taught them that love is enslavement and violence," she said. "It seems that the only thing you took from that trial was ways to hem your victims in [with non-disclosure agreements]."
The US Attorney's Office in Brooklyn then disclosed in a new filing on Saturday that they put him on suicide watch "for his own safety" after a recent psychological assessment.
However, the embattled singer refused to accept that he used it to file a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Detention Center.
In an interview with PEOPLE, R. Kelly's lawyer Jennifer Bonjean said that the suicide watch was done for "purely punitive reasons." She also alleged that the punishment given to the singer violated his Eighth Amendment rights.
This caused him to have severe mental distress, which led him to be placed on suicide watch.
"They cannot shower or shave and are sometimes not even afforded toilet paper. Meals are not provided with utensils, forcing inmates to eat with their hands. They have no ability to consult with loved ones or supportive figures," the lawsuit said, as quoted by Rolling Stone.
Reuters reported that R. Kelly is seeking $100 million in damages, but he received a response instead.
R. Kelly Is At Risk of Self-Harm and Suicide
Following R. Kelly's filing, the Bureau of Prisons responded on Saturday, saying that a staff psychologist's declaration supported its decision to place him on suicide watch.
It revealed that the assessment was done after the sentencing, and the psychologist immediately validated factors that are signs of risk of self-harm and suicide.
"These factors are broken into three categories: static, dynamic, and protective. The staff psychologist, having considered these factors, determined that suicide watch was clinically indicated for the Plaintiff," MDC Brooklyn staff psychologist Andrea Reddy went on.
Even after R. Kelly's filing, the suicide watch is still in place for safety and security reasons.
The development came before he faces separate charges in Chicago, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, enticing a minor into illegal sexual activity, and 13 charges of child pornography.
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