Jailed comedian Bill Cosby was reportedly moved from isolation to a general population unit at the Pennsylvania prison he’s currently housed at.
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections press secretary Amy Worden said Cosby, 81, was moved January 28 and is being “treated just the same as any other inmate.” Worden said Cosby is in a single cell without a cellmate, which is common at the State Correctional Institute at Phoenix.
The network reported that Cosby’s surrounded by inmates of varying ages as he isn’t in a geriatric unit. He spent his first four months living in a single cell adjacent to the infirmary, unable to move freely like the other inmates, according to reports.
Bill Cosby, 81, moved to general unit at Pennsylvania prison https://t.co/xKUC1TdBEQ
— CTV News (@CTVNews) February 7, 2019
The comedian is currently serving three to 10 years for aggravated indecent assault for drugging and raping Andrea Constand at his home in 2004. He’s reportedly in the process of appealing his conviction.
In an email to The New York Times, Worden confirmed that Cosby, who is legally blind, will still have access to an inmate worker who will “help him get around as other elderly and/or infirm inmates have as well.” He will now have the option to join the other inmates in the prison yard twice a day, she said.
The Times reported that Cosby’s new unit has two levels which are joined by a day room where inmates can watch television, talk, and play games. He will also be eating in a central, communal chow hall, according to the newspaper.
Cosby’s spokesperson initially told CNN that the comedian wasn’t in general population. However, Worden told the network that Cosby’s rep. was mistaken and misunderstood what general population entailed.
“He made it clear that he’s not in general population but has contact with a trustee that guides him around,” Andrew Wyatt said Thursday.
“He does not eat in the area with other residents, he does not have a cell-mate, and he does not exercise with other residents. Thus meaning that Mr. Cosby is not in general population because that would be detrimental to his safety and security, due to his blindness.”
Worden explained that high-profile inmates are typically isolated from the general population until the prison superintendent decides to integrate them. The spokesperson said it’s unclear what factors led to Cosby’s integration into the general population.
[Featured Image: Bill Cosby/State Correctional Institute at Phoenix]
