The most important prisoner in the United States reportedly killed himself, and investigators want to know how. But the answer is pretty easy.
According to a new report by the New York Times, two staff members charged with guarding Epstein’s cell fell asleep and failed to check on him for three hours. After Epstein was found dead, they falsified records to hide their mistake. The two employees, along with the warden of the prison, have been placed on administrative leave and could face additional consequences depending on the conclusion of the Department of Justice’s investigation.
Epstein, 66, had been accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls and was awaiting trial in New York when he reportedly hanged himself with a bedsheet. The financier was connected to many rich, powerful people, including Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew, and President Trump. What he could have told prosecutors has led many to question the legitimacy of his alleged suicide.
But so far, the facts point to the routine negligence and carelessness of public employees charged with caring for prisoners. In the Atlantic, Ken White shared 32 stories of gruesome prison deaths that evince a pattern in the U.S. prison system. Guards often show little concern for the individuals they’re charged with watching and protecting, and prisons rarely have the resources necessary to properly care for prisoners.
Should we have expected Epstein to be any different? Perhaps. He was a monster who deserved to face justice, and the dirt he could have revealed would have been catastrophic. But to argue Epstein should have been an exception is to admit there’s a systemic problem he should never have faced. Epstein simply gave it a face.
Epstein’s death should anger us all — not just because a man escaped justice, but because our system failed, as it has thousands of prisoners. Justice demands answers, and it will get them. But don’t be surprised if they’re not the wild theories being throw around.
Negligence has taken the lives of many prisoners. Epstein might just be the most famous.
