El Chapo's lawyers argue that the drug lord is 'going crazy' in solitary confinement

Lawyers say El Chapo's mental health is deteriorating in solitary confinement
(Image credit: RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP/Getty Images)

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's defense lawyers are arguing that the famous drug lord's prison conditions at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan are making his health deteriorate and could lead to him going "crazy," The Washington Post reports. Guzman is the former leader of Mexico's Sinaloa cartel and he was extradited to New York City on President Obama's last full day in office. Guzman previously escaped from federal prison in Mexico twice; he has pleaded not guilty to 17 counts related to running the cartel.

Guzman's attorneys said Guzman sits in a windowless cell for 23 hours a day with the lights always on and his meals slipped through the door. He is given one hour alone in an exercise room with a treadmill and a stationary bike. The lawyers said on weekends Guzman spends all 24 hours alone in his cell, and that guards took away his clock — the only way he'd been able to tell night from day.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.