By María Santana, CNN
(CNN) — As ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro prepares for his next court hearing in the US, his son is projecting an optimistic and defiant image of how his father and First Lady Cilia Flores are coping with life behind bars. However, people with access to the notorious Brooklyn jail where he is being held paint a less rosy picture of what life there is really like.
Maduro and Flores, who were transferred to New York in January after being captured by US forces in Venezuela, have pleaded not guilty to charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering and corruption.
Both are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York – a facility known both for its tough conditions and for having housed high profile inmates such as drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the socialite and Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Venezuelan lawmaker Nicolás Maduro Guerra, known as “Nicolasito,” said Monday that his father remains “in high spirits” and “very strong,” that he exercises daily, and that he could reappear looking “thinner, more athletic.”
He referred to Flores as a “first combatant, firm and alert” in the face of legal challenges.
But life inside the federal detention facility is notoriously tough.
Days of isolation
For years, the jail has been criticized for its conditions, often described as dangerous and inhumane. Some lawyers and detainees have gone so far as to call it a “hell on earth,” citing unsanitary conditions, insecurity and prolonged isolation.
Someone like Maduro is likely to face even more restrictions than other inmates, as high-profile figures are often separated from the general population for security reasons.
“I would expect their routine to be 23 hours a day in solitary confinement,” explained Cameron Lindsay, a former director of the facility. That implies near-total confinement to a cell, meals delivered through a slot in the door, little or no contact with other inmates, and limited recreation, usually alone.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons did not confirm which specific unit he is in or give details about the conditions of his detention. However, experts and lawyers say prisoners of this profile are usually held in the Special Housing Unit.
“It’s the most restrictive level within the facility,” criminal and civil rights attorney Daniel McGuinness explained. There, detainees spend almost the entire day alone in their cells and, when they leave, they do so under strict supervision and with limited communication, according to Justice Department reports.
Although it may seem like a punishment, the point of this type of confinement is to protect the detainee and jail staff, according to the prisons bureau.
Separated from his wife
Even if he wasn’t in solitary confinement, Maduro would be unable to see his wife.
At this jail, men and women are housed in separate units, even if they’re married. Furthermore, in federal cases like this one, co-defendants are generally prohibited from communicating with each other.
Under the federal system, courts can impose “no contact” orders to prevent collusion, witness tampering, or interference in the judicial process.
This means that, even within the same detention center, Maduro and Flores probably cannot see each other or communicate directly, beyond possible controlled encounters in the presence of their lawyers.
Any other contact with the outside world is possible,