Sean “Diddy” Combs: Mental State Unclear, Placed on Suicide Watch

After his recent arrest, Sean “Diddy” Combs has been placed on suicide watch. The detainee is behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn. He was denied bail twice after being indicted for sex-related crimes.

Combs has been in the custody of the MDC since Tuesday, September 17. It hasn’t been confirmed if the rapper is suicidal or when his suicide watch began. Sources informed PEOPLE that the move was a preventive measure after Combs was diagnosed as being in shock and having an unclear state of mind.

Defined by the US Department of Justice National Institute of Corrections, suicide watch refers to the “supervisory precautions taken for suicidal inmates that require frequent observation.”

Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ attorney, requested that the performer be moved to a prison in Essex County, New Jersey. The decision has been deferred to the Bureau of Prison.

What Is the Metropolitan Detention Center Like?

MDC is home to 1,600 inmates, the majority of them are waiting to undergo trial. The facility has a reputation for being understaffed and dangerous. Many of its charges have died and committed suicide. 

Comb’s defense team knows this all too well. When they asked that the artist be allowed out on bail, they cited that “several courts in this District have recognized that the conditions at Metropolitan Detention Center are not fit for pre-trial detention.” 

“Just earlier this summer, an inmate was murdered. At least four inmates have died by suicide there in the past three years,” they wrote in their petition.

Charges Against Combs

The indictment against combs allege that he forced his victims to engage in “freak offs,” defined by prosecutors as “elaborate and produced sex performances.”

The celebrity has been accused of leveraging his popularity to get women to participate in these “freak offs.” In several instances, he is said to have used various drugs, including cocaine, oxycodone, and ketamine, to make them do what he wanted.

Some of these incidents were recorded on film without his victims’ knowledge or consent. While raiding his LA home last March, authorities reportedly recovered 1,000 bottles of lubricant and baby oil along with three AR-15 rifles.

The charges filed against him include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and engaging in transportation for prostitution. The 54-year-old has pled not guilty to these accusations.

According to the New York Times, his prosecutors believe that he has been the “mastermind of a sprawling criminal enterprise since at least 2008 that included his employees and engaged in kidnapping, forced labor, arson, and bribery.”

Combs’ next hearing has been scheduled for September 24 at 10 in the morning.