R. Kelly is constantly monitored out of concern that he would take his own life in jail

The singer R. Kelly will remain under surveillance 24 hours a day, after undergoing a psychological evaluation that has determined that he could pose a danger to himself. The United States Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn presented a series of court documents late on Saturday informing of this decision, in which it is specified that the musician shows suicidal tendencies since the sentence was passed against him last Wednesday, July 29, and discovered that he had been sentenced to 30 years in prison for child abuse and sex trafficking.

It was then that this measure was applied, which in practice means that prisoners cannot use normal utensils such as cutlery and are forced to change their uniform for paper gowns -similar to those of a hospital- so that they cannot use belts or laces to hurt yourself. R. Kelly’s lawyers say these harsh conditions are not justified in the singer’s case and have caused him irreparable harm. Last Friday, his representative Jennifer Bonjean compared the situation in which his client finds himself to that of a “gulag” by announcing that they had filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Detention Center where Kelly is serving a sentence, claiming an unspecified amount for damages.

However, Assistant District Attorney Melanie Speight insists the R&B star’s current circumstances are “causing him considerable emotional distress” that warrants closer supervision: “In the immediate future, he faces another federal criminal trial in Chicago on charges related to child pornography,” he said in a public statement to remind that R. Kelly‘s legal battle has not yet concluded.