FTX: The toughest prison in the Caribbean will be Sam Bankman Fried’s new home

Sam Bankman Fried (SBF) is unlikely to return to the luxurious $40 million penthouse he’s lived in for the past few years. Instead, he will now remain in the custody of Bahamian authorities at Fox Hill, the country’s only prison, where he was reportedly transferred yesterday.

After being denied bail as requested by his lawyers, SBF told the court that he would not waive his right to fight extradition to the United States. As a result, Magistrate Judge Joyann Ferguson Pratt ordered that the FTX founder remain in the Bahamas Department of Corrections to avoid any “flight risk.”

So, until his extradition hearing, scheduled for February 8, 2023, Bankman Fried will live in one of the most overcrowded prisons in the Caribbean.

In the World Prison Brief (WPB), the leading global database on prison issues, the Bahamas prison is ranked 11th among the most overcrowded prisons in the region, including Latin American countries.

Fox Hill Correctional Facility is an overcrowded facility, with an occupancy rate of 161.77%. In fact, it is so overcrowded that inmates sometimes only see sunlight for 30 minutes a week, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Bankman Fried is apparently already an inmate at Fox Hill, where he was reportedly admitted directly to the medical ward, a local official told the Wall Street Journal.

It is unclear what part of the prison the former FTX CEO will be held in, as the facility theoretically has a holding area for those serving short sentences, separate from those convicted of serious crimes. However, overcrowding complicates the lack of space at Fox Hill, as local attorney Ramona Farquharson noted.

From the most luxurious villa in the Bahamas to the overcrowded Fox Hill

A 2021 human rights report notes the prison’s internal conditions. The document mentions invasions of rats, maggots, and insects in individual cells, which are no more than 10 feet long and are inhabited by 6 inmates at a time.

However, a report published last year by a local media outlet shows that things are changing at Fox Hill prison. However, from what can be seen in the images, it is clear that the place lacks the comforts that the FTX founder was used to.

It is also unclear whether SBF will be able to maintain his vegan diet while incarcerated in the Bahamian prison, or if he will be allowed to wear the patches he uses to treat his depression or ADD. Indeed, Fox Hill Prison is also known for its poor diet, inadequate sanitation, and insufficient medical care for inmates.

The facility was designed to hold 1,000 inmates, but then became chronically overcrowded. Juveniles on remand were held with adults in a maximum security section. Inmates reported infrequent access to nutritious meals and long delays between daily meals. There are no toilets and prisoners dispose of human waste in buckets. Prisoners complained about the lack of beds and mattresses.

Bahamas Human Rights Report 2021.