Richard Hatch Prefers Solitude in Prison

As readers know, original Survivor winner Richard Hatch was found guilty earlier this year of tax evasion. As the judge felt he posed a possible flight risk, Hatch was jailed immediately, pending his sentencing hearing. That hearing will take place later this month, on April 25, and we will finally find out what his full punishment will be – the charges carry a possibility of 13 years incarceration. But in the meantime, news reports yesterday indicated that Hatch has been in protective custody within the jail his entire time.

The protective custody does not seem to have been sparked by any particular incident. Instead, all new prisoners are put into solitary confinement for their first three days, allowing them only one hour each day for recreation. They are usually then transferred to the general population with the other prisoners. However, Hatch continues to be held apart from the others.

Jail officials said that any prisoner can request protective custody, and Hatch’s attorney confirmed that Hatch did indeed make such a request shortly after arriving. While some might surmise this request has something to do with Hatch’s penchant for nudity, a U.S. marshal said that it is simply because Hatch is a celebrity and protective custody “is the best possible position for him to be in at this point in time, the safest and most secure.”

Hatch’s attorney also wanted to make sure everybody knows how bad the food is in jail, which he called abysmal. “I’d just hate for someone to think these are pleasant conditions,” he added. But Hatch survived for 39 days on little food in Borneo, so maybe he’ll end up losing weight again.

The question remains of how long Hatch’s sentence will be. As mentioned earlier, the possibility exists for up to 13 years in prison, though that is unlikely. The judge has said he expects a sentence of around three years, give or take a few months, but it could be longer because prosecutors have said Hatch lied in his testimony. It’s unknown at this point if Hatch could, or would, ask to remain in protective custody for his entire sentence.

David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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