Despite his attorneys hoping for a limited sentence of community service, Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 30 months of felony probation. This includes 150 days in jail — which will be carried out in the Cook County Jail in Chicago — and an order for the actor to pay restitution amounting more than $120,000, per CNN. The false reports Smollett made to police in January 2019 will also cost him an additional $25,000.
The Cook County Jail is located in central Chicago near the courthouse, currently housing 6,000 inmates, many of whom, according to the Daily Mail, are Black men awaiting trial. Inmates serving time at this location are typically those with sentences of two years or less. The outlet reported that upon his arrival, the former “Empire” star was being held in the Division 8 Residential Treatment Unit — a facility that made headlines in 2020 for a COVID-19 outbreak, the death of three detainees from the virus, and poor sanitary conditions.
Cook County Jail has large dormitories with rows of bunks for hundreds of men to sleep. It is unclear where Smollett will be placed at this time, but single cell blocks are typically reserved for either violent or at-risk inmates. Judge James Linn noted that good behavior from Smollett could lessen the 150-day sentence to half, allowing him to serve just over two months.
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