Disgraced comedian Bill Cosby—who was sentenced in September to 3 to 10 years in prison after being convicted last year of aggravated indecent assault for the drugging and sexual assault of Andrea Constand in 2004—was moved into general population at the prison where he is serving his sentence.
Amy Worden, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, told CNN that the 81-year-old was moved into a single cell with no cellmate on Jan. 28, and is being “treated just the same as any other inmate.”
Single cells with no cellmate are typical at State Correctional Institute at Phoenix, where Cosby is listed as Inmate No. NN7687 and housed in a unit that includes inmates of varying ages—not in a geriatric unit.
The unit has cells on two stories that surround a central “day room” where inmates can watch television, play cards and socialize.
Worden said Cosby, who is visually impaired, has assistants as needed.
One thing Cosby has not had, however, is visits from his family since he has been in prison.
Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt told the Associated Press that he doesn’t expect Camille Cosby or their daughters to visit Cosby at the prison, which is 20 miles from their family estate in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
Wyatt, who visits Cosby regularly, said “He doesn’t want to have them in that environment. Why put them in that position, to make it turn into some form of a circus?”
Wyatt also said that Cosby believes he is a “political prisoner,” targeted for his social and political views much like heroes Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.
“He said, ‘They want to entrap me to say I’m remorseful, or to say I did something I didn’t do.’ I’m not going to fall for it,” Wyatt said.
In his new unit, all inmates are awakened at 6 a.m. daily and have to be back in their cells by 8:45 p.m.
Worden said inmates can spend their time going to the gym or the exercise yard. They can visit the prison library, sit in the day room, or see family and friends in the visiting area. Worden said Cosby wakes up early each day and does leg lifts and crunches in his cell. He also works on creative projects.
“He hasn’t stopped thinking about the things that he’s going to do when he gets out,” Wyatt said.
This is a far cry from his days of being known as “America’s dad.”
What a sad decline that could have been avoided if only everyone believed in consent.