His legal team last month said the conditions of the designation amount to cruel and unusual punishment , but US District Judge Brian Cogan disagreed in his decision. "I agree with defendant that his conduct was and remains exemplary, but that conduct is a direct consequence of the strict conditions of confinement in which he finds himself," Cogan wrote. Judge provides his rationaleCogan also pointed to "credible evidence about a prison escape attempt at (New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center) from the only outdoor recreation area available" for SAMs inmates. In any case, the judge wrote, the Metropolitan Correctional Center bans earplugs for all inmates because of the risk they might ignore guards or fail to hear guards' commands in an emergency. The government responded that the only outdoor exercise space at the New York federal prison holding Guzman is a rooftop covered in wire mesh.

Source: CNN June 03, 2019 20:14 UTC