Sean “Diddy” Combs, the prominent music mogul recently indicted on sex trafficking charges, has been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
His legal team had highlighted severe issues at the facility in their bid to keep him out of jail, citing poor conditions, violence, and multiple fatalities.
Combs, 54, entered the MDC on Tuesday following his not guilty plea to accusations of physical and sexual abuse spanning over a decade. The jail, known for its dire conditions, has faced scrutiny for years. It is the only federal jail in New York City, and its reputation has led some judges to refuse to send inmates there due to its described “hellish” environment and ongoing problems.
Opened in the early 1990s, MDC Brooklyn serves as a detention center for individuals awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn. The facility, located on the Brooklyn waterfront, houses about 1,200 detainees, though this number is down from more than 1,600 earlier this year. It includes outdoor recreation areas, a medical unit, and educational programs, but is frequently criticized for its management and living conditions.
Problems at MDC Brooklyn are well-documented. Inmates have reported widespread violence, inadequate staffing, severe shortages of essential services, and rampant contraband smuggling, sometimes facilitated by staff. The facility has been the site of several deaths recently, including the stabbing of Uriel Whyte and the death of Edwin Cordero from injuries sustained in a fight. Additionally, at least four inmates have died by suicide in the past three years.
The jail’s issues extend beyond individual cases. In 2019, a power failure caused significant unrest among inmates. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDC Brooklyn recorded the first federal inmate case of the virus. The facility’s staffing crisis, operating at about 55% of full capacity as of last November, has exacerbated these problems.
Efforts are underway to address these issues. The Bureau of Prisons is working to improve conditions by increasing staff, addressing maintenance backlogs, and responding to judicial concerns. However, some judges have already acted by reducing sentences or allowing bail for defendants to avoid MDC Brooklyn due to its conditions.
High-profile inmates such as R. Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Sam Bankman-Fried have previously been held at MDC Brooklyn, highlighting its role in housing significant figures despite its problematic reputation. The closure of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in 2021 has left MDC Brooklyn as the sole federal jail in the city.
FOX News, New York Post, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
