Former President Trump has been threatened with jail time if he continues violating a gag order in his New York trial. If warnings and $1,000 fines for each infraction − Trump has 10 so far − continue to prove too weak a deterrent, where would Trump actually be jailed? The answer could make a big difference in how unpleasant the experience is, reports USA Today. The world's highest-profile detainee could be held briefly in a cell near the courtroom or potentially for days in a jail on notorious Rikers Island. Ronald Kuby, a veteran defense lawyer who has visited clients in city jails and spent time in them for various acts of protest, said Trump is unlikely to enjoy any detention. Holding cells are small, with loud, sliding doors. Trump is unlikely to go to Rikers, but even the more probable scenario of a brief stay in a courthouse cell would be unprecedented. Like all ex-presidents, he is protected by the Secret Service, creating a host of logistical challenges.
“It is terra incognita: unknown land, off the existing maps,” said criminologist James Oleson of the University of Auckland. The New York City Correction Department says it "would find appropriate housing for him if he winds up in our custody.” Patrick Rocchio, a spokesperson for the Department of Correction, said in a statement. More goes into contingency planning for a possible Trump contempt order and incarceration than just where he would stay, said Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. Agents would need to look at everybody – and everything – that would potentially come in contact with Trump, including the staff at any facility and even the food that would be presented to him. Trump could be detained for an hour or two in a cell behind Merchan's courtroom on the 15th floor of the courthouse in lower Manhattan, with one tiny window at most and a large metal door “that slams shut with a mighty clang,” Kuby said. “They are meant for short habitation,” Kuby said. “They have a toilet. They've got a bench. And that's about it.”
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