[kabar]

Agree with you, but I would add the caveat that we really don't know the circumstances of the so-called first attempt. I have seen rumors to the effect that Epstein denied he was attempting suicide and that he had been attacked. We do know that the prison psychologist had interviewed him repeatedly and approved the move off of a suicide watch, which was approved by the warden.

I agree that it should never have been done given the high profile nature of the prisoner regardless of whether he was suicidal or not. He should have been given the highest surveillance based on the who he was and what was involved. Forget about suicide watch, which is really a distraction.

[morphing libertarian]

The warden can override the psych. It’s also a security issue, as I indicated, independent of the psych analysis. When you have a prisoner like him, you err on the side of caution. This is not a typical situation. Lastly the predictable outcome proves they were wrong.