NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was transferred to Minnesota's only maximum-security prison, located in Oak Park Heights, on Tuesday afternoon after he was found guilty on all three charges in the death of George Floyd.
Life won't be easy for Chauvin, 45, whose new home is the facility's Administrative Control Unit: He'll spend 23 hours a day in the cell, which only has a bench with a mattress, a toilet-sink hybrid and a shower.
Chauvin will get one hour to spend outside the cell to exercise, but he'll be kept away from other prisoners and remain under the watchful eye of prison guards. Guards check-in on prisoners every 30 minutes, and cameras monitor prisoners.
The following items are allowed in the unit, according to the Department of Corrections: clothing, footwear, towels, bedding, writing paper and pen, inmate communication forms, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, soap, shampoo, restricted housing information packet, and a comb.
These additional items are also allowed "unless prohibited for safety or security reasons:" personal mail, legal materials, wedding rings, approved religious items, shower thongs, address book, eyeglasses, dentures, prosthesis, approved canteen items, ear plugs, and envelopes.
Certain magazines, newspapers, publications, books, and education materials may also be approved, as well as radios.
Prison officials told The New York Times he's in the unit for his own safety, but according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections website, there are a few reasons why a prisoner ends up there.
"The ACU often houses individuals for disciplinary reasons but may also house some individuals who are on Administrative Segregation," the website reads. "This type of restricted housing is not disciplinary in nature. Sometimes it is used during pending investigations or when continued presence in the general population could pose a particular safety concern."
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