Disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein denied having suicidal ideation when speaking to jail staff on multiple occasions shortly before he was found dead, according to a new report from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Inspector General.
Epstein apparently attempted to hang himself July 23, 2019, less than three weeks into his stint at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), according to the DOJ report released Tuesday. Initial screenings of Epstein upon his entry at MCC on July 6, 2019, determined he was not suicidal.
NEW: The DOJ OIG released its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s death and why there was no video footage of it. The jail’s electrical technician apparently knew about the camera malfunction two days before Epstein killed himself but did not immediately fix it @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/HyCWUqdGF6
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) June 27, 2023
“On Saturday, July 6, 2019, at 9:38 p.m., upon Epstein’s intake into MCC New York, he was medically screened by Physician Assistant 2. The screening included taking vital signs and asking various medical history questions, including questions related to Epstein’s mental health. Among other things, Physician Assistant 2 annotated that Epstein did not have current suicidal ideation and had denied having a history of suicide attempts,” the report reads. (RELATED: DOJ Investigation Says Why Jeffrey Epstein’s Mysterious Jail Cell Death Was Not Caught On Camera)
The next morning, someone from the jail’s psychology department was alerted about Epstein appearing “distraught, sad, and a little confused.” A psychologist from the department conducted a screening of Epstein on July 8, 2019, and he did not report any mental health issues. The psychologist reported that Epstein did not have any suicidal ideation, nor any sexual offense convictions, according to the DOJ.
Epstein told the psychologist he had been charged with sex trafficking by prosecutors and that he previously spent three months in jail for “prostitution,” the reported continued. He was sentenced in Florida in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution and spent his sentence in a work release program, according to USA Today.
“Epstein denied recent or present morbid thoughts and denied passive or active suicidal ideation,” the DOJ report reads. “It was noted in BOP records that Epstein’s verbalizations were future-oriented and did not have indications of helpless or hopeless thinking.”
The psychologist determined Epstein did not meet any criteria for diagnosis and said there were no concerns about the inmate’s mental health. After the assessment, the BOP’s National Suicide Prevention Coordinator informed the Chief Psychologist at the jail about the risk factors associated with Epstein’s potential suicidal ideation, according to the report.
“These risk factors were that Epstein was involved in a high-profile case with media attention, had been charged with sex offenses, was on pretrial status, and there was the potential for bad news from a court proceeding that day,” the DOJ document reads. “A determination was made that upon Epstein’s return from court, staff were to notify the psychologist and place Epstein on a ‘watch status’ until a thorough suicide risk assessment could be conducted.”
The psychologist who assessed Epstein on July 8, 2019 was told about his potential suicide risk and he was placed on suicide watch until the Chief Psychologist could assess Epstein’s suicide risk the next day.
At 6:00 a.m. on the day Epstein was found dead, the electrical technician showed up to the room in order to fix the cameras. A half hour later, Epstein was found hanged in his prison cell in what was ruled a suicide by a medical examiner. pic.twitter.com/x11vSNUvyg
— James Lynch (@jameslynch32) June 27, 2023
“The Chief Psychologist’s assessment was that Epstein had numerous protective factors that outweighed his risk factors for suicidality and that he had a positive outlook regarding his legal case. Epstein remained on psychological observation pending a suitable cell assignment, and the Chief Psychologist noted that a suicide watch was not warranted at the time of her report,” the report reads.
Epstein continued to deny suicidal ideation when psychologists met with him and observed his behavior over the next few days. The Chief Psychologist met with Epstein on July 16, 2019, and said he did not have any psychological concerns, according to the report. Epstein was unavailable for his monthly psychological review July 18 because he had a court appearance.
When the Chief Psychologist met with Epstein after his alleged July 23 suicide attempt, Epstein denied suicidal ideation and denied knowing why he was put on suicide watch. Epstein had been found by correctional officers “with an orange cloth around his neck. Epstein’s cellmate told officers Epstein tried to hang himself. Medical staff examined Epstein, observed friction marks and superficial reddening around his neck and on his knee, and placed him on suicide watch,” according to the report.
The Chief Psychologist told the DOJ she was uncertain as to what caused the marks on Epstein’s neck and told BOP staff Epstein needed a cellmate, according to the document.
Following Epstein’s apparent suicide attempt, he was screened by psychologists and placed on suicide watch for 31 hours until July 24, 2019. He was placed under psychological evaluation until July 30 and the jail’s psychologists determined he needed an appropriate cellmate, according to the report. The psychologists emailed over 70 MCC employees about Epstein’s requirement and a new inmate was provided for Epstein until Aug. 9, one day before he died.
“Epstein first told MCC New York staff he thought his cellmate had tried to kill him, but later said he did not know what occurred and did not want to talk about how he had sustained his injuries,” the report reads. “Epstein also later asked if he could be housed with the same cellmate. Another inmate housed on the same SHU tier told the OIG that he heard Epstein’s cellmate call for assistance, and that Epstein’s cellmate told him that Epstein tried to hang himself from the bunkbed ladder.”
MCC staff did not bring disciplinary charges against Epstein because of insufficient evidence, according to the report. He was psychologically evaluated in connection with the disciplinary proceedings and told staff he did not remember how he sustained the marks around his neck.
The disgraced financier had a court appearance July 31. When he returned to MCC, U.S. Marshals sent paperwork to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) about Epstein’s “suicidal tendencies.” Psychologists then visited Epstein and he denied having suicidal ideation, according to the DOJ.
The following day, psychologists conducted suicide risk assessment of Epstein because of the U.S. Marshal report. They determined Epstein did not warrant suicide watch after he denied suicidal tendencies, according to the DOJ document. In addition, the psychologists scheduled a follow up assessment a week later.
Epstein met with attorneys Aug. 8 and signed a new Last Will and Testament, which MCC allegedly did not know about until after he died. Psychologists assessed Epstein and he denied suicidal intentions, ideation or plans, according to the report. On the same day, MCC staff were notified that Epstein’s cellmate was being transferred Aug. 9 and that he had not been assigned a new cellmate. (RELATED: Jeffrey Epstein’s Behavior In Prison Leading Up To His Death Revealed By New Documents)
The day before Epstein died, roughly 2,000 pages of documents were unsealed in civil litigation involving his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022 for conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors. He was provided an unsupervised phone call with permission from a unit manager, in contrast to BOP policy against them. Epstein was not given a new cellmate despite the psychologists’ assessment that he needed one, according to the report.
Epstein was found dead in his jail cell at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, 2019, in what was later ruled a suicide by hanging. A search of his cell determined he possessed excessive blankets, linens and clothing, with some of them used as nooses. Staff also failed to conduct the required 30-minute rounds and inmate counts on the evening before Epstein’s death, according to the report.
“While in MCC New York, Epstein was screened on numerous occasions by psychological staff, including a formal suicide assessment on July 9. In the evaluations he denied having thoughts or a history of attempted suicide. Psychological staff determined Epstein did not meet the criteria for a psychological diagnosis,” the report reads.
“We found that the staff’s failure to assign Epstein a cellmate on August 9; failure to conduct rounds and counts that evening; and to allow him to have excess linens in his cell, left Epstein unmonitored and locked alone in his cell for hours, which provided him an opportunity to commit suicide.”