Princewill Pius
In April 2020, Tekashi 6ix9ine was officially granted early release and placed on home confinement, but it’s hardly the same for others in his position. According to a memo released by Attorney General William Barr in March 2020 (via The New York Times), normally, immunocompromised offenders who are transferred to house arrest due to risk of COVID-19 still have to undergo a 14-day quarantine period within prison facilities before being released from custody.
Since the memo, hundreds of inmates who are either over the age of 65 or who have underlying conditions that make them more susceptible to catching the novel coronavirus (in 6ix9ine’s case, asthma) have been released from federal prisons, where close quarters have made it possible for the disease to spread quickly.
The majority of these offenders are incarcerated due to non-violent offenses, which also makes 6ix9ine an exception to the rule. In December 2019, the hip-hop star was sentenced to two years in prison for violent gang-related activity, assisting in armed robbery, and attempted murder, per CNN. At the time of his arrest, he faced up to 37 years in prison, but plead guilty to lesser charges — including racketeering — after agreeing to cooperate with authorities as a witness against his cohorts in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods.
Written by: Nicki
