Not 24 hours after a Chicago judge sentenced Jussie Smollett to five months behind bars for staging a racially motivated attack on himself, attorneys for the disgraced former Empire star have filed an appeal.
According to ABC affiliate WLS-TV, Smollett is now in protective custody at Cook County Jail, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office noted in a statement, clarifying that the actor is not being held in solitary confinement, contrary to some reports.
A statement from the Sherriff’s Office explains that confinement like Jussie’s is “routinely used for individuals ordered into protective custody who may potentially be at risk of harm due to the nature of their charges, their profession, or their noteworthy status.”
The message also notes, “Mr. Smollett is being housed in his own cell, which is monitored by security cameras in the cell and by an officer wearing a body worn camera who is stationed at the entrance of the cell to ensure that Mr. Smollett is under direct observation at all times.”
The statement adds regarding Smollett’s confinement, “During such times out of cell, other detainees will not be present in the common areas…The safety and security of all detained individuals, including Mr. Smollett, is the Sheriff’s Office’s highest priority.”
Before sentencing Thursday, Cook County Judge James Linn excoriated Smollett, calling him a “charlatan” who “denigrated” actual hate crime victims.
“You got on the witness stand. You didn’t have to…But you committed hour upon hour upon hour of pure perjury,” Linn said.
Smollett was led off in handcuffs, screaming, “I am not suicidal! I am innocent!”
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