What is a prison consultant?
Now-convicted media mogul Harvey Weinstein enlisted the help of prison coach to prepare him for life behind bars
Big-name celebrities, athletes and business executives alike have turned to prison coaches for help in their final days before serving time.
Now-convicted media mogul Harvey Weinstein enlisted the help of prison coach, also known as a prison consultant, to prepare the 67-year-old for life behind bars in the period before the verdict was handed down, Page Six reported.
Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse as jury deliberations continue in his rape trial, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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On Feb. 24, a jury found Weinstein guilty of a first-degree criminal sex act and third-degree rape. He’ll be serving time in a New York City Department of Correction facility, likely Rikers Island, until his March 11 sentencing, at which point he’ll be transferred elsewhere.
For Weinstein, and many others prepping for their move to the slammer, a prison consultant can help with much more than learning what to expect and how to behave, explained John Fuller, a New York-based prison consultant who has traveled across the country for more than a decade helping clients get ready.
A woman walks by a sign at the entrance to Rikers Island on March 31, 2017, in New York City. ( Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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“Every individual's case is different. You can get a single guy that comes in and he's worried about a single man's problem. You can get a married guy who's coming in. Maybe his wife is leaving because of his incarceration. What happens if he has children?" Fuller told FOX Business. “What was their medical condition? It would be very important for these individuals to get checkups before going into their respective prison.”
Fuller acts as a source of knowledge, a wealth of answers, for his clients.
“[I] let them know what they should do and how to proceed, how to deal with their cellmates. The things that they're gonna see from the time they're in a cell with their cellmates, the things that they should do when they're in a cell with their cellmate,” he said.
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For example: “You may be assigned to a top bunk. You know, one day you want to tie your shoes, you don't take it upon yourself to sit on your cellmate's bed, because it could be an invitation for sexual exchanges.”
Each case is personal, he explained, and often comes at a cost.
Fuller said his average client will pay between $5,000 and $15,000, but it depends on how much time he’s spent with the person.
Martha Stewart attends American Magazine Media Conference 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for MPA – The Association of Magazine Media)
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Other high-profile convicts who have hired prison consultants include Martha Stewart, Michael Vick, Bernie Madoff and New Jersey “Housewife” Teresa Giudice.
“Full House” actress Lori Loughlin, who is currently embroiled in charges connected to allegations she paid roughly $500,000 to get her daughters into the University of Southern California, has reportedly sought help from a prison coach.
Loughlin and her husband are set to go to trial in October.