Will Chauvins prison experience remain unusual?
This undated photo provided by the Minnesota Department of Corrections shows a cell in the Administrative Control Unit at the Oak Park Heights, Minn., facility. This cell is similar to the cell that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been in since he was found guilty in April 2021, for the May 25, 2020, death of George Floyd. Chauvin will be sentenced Friday, June 25. (Minnesota Department of Corrections via AP)  MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd. But its not clear yet what Chauvins experience will look like. AN UNUSUAL START  Since his April conviction, Chauvin has been held at the states only maximum security prison, in Oak Park Heights. Thats unusual  people dont typically go to a prison while waiting for sentencing  but Chauvin is there for security reasons. Most state prisons have a unit to separate inmates from the general population for safety or security. But Oak Park Heights has what the Department of Corrections calls Minnesotas most secure unit to separate individuals from others in the prison for disciplinary or security reasons. Photos provided by the state show an empty cell in that unit has white cinderblock walls, slim rectangular windows, a metal toilet and sink and a thin mattress on a fixed bedframe. Chauvin has been kept there for security since his conviction, alone in a 10 foot-by-10 foot cell that is monitored by corrections staff via camera and in-person checks. He had meals brought to his room and is allowed out for solitary exercise for an average of one hour a day. It wasnt immediately clear if Chauvin will remain in that unit or in the maximum security prison now that he has been sentenced. The Department of Corrections will place Chauvin after Judge Peter Cahills formal sentencing order commits Chauvin to its custody.