JOSH Duggar’s prison canceled activities and inmates were forced to stay inside their cells, a source claims to The U.S. Sun.
Josh, 37, is serving a 151-month sentence at FCI Seagoville in Dallas, Texas with a release date of October 2032.
The U.S. Sun previously reported the prison halted recreational time for inmates as punishment for suspected contraband being brought on to the grounds.
Now, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal FCI Seagoville took the punishment a step further by canceling classes and having inmates stay in their cells.
A rep from Seagoville insisted to The U.S. Sun, “There was no lockdown. We had modified operations due to facility upgrades and repairs of utility systems.”
But a source close to an inmate currently serving time at the facility exclusively told The U.S. Sun, “They’ve had the entire facility locked down last week.
“People weren’t allowed to leave their dorms, classes were canceled, they couldn’t receive mail, and they had recreational time cut down to one hour.
“They said this is punishment for the contraband.”
While the restrictions lasted just days, inmates were left feeling “upset.”
The insider continued, “They’re angry that they’re being treated like a medium-security prison when they’re a low-security facility.”
The U.S. Sun previously reported on the “punshment” for inmates, as many even went on a hunger strike in an effort to get recreational time reinstated.
A source previously claimed to The U.S. Sun, “The interim warden has shut down recreational time ‘indefinitely’ as mass punishment for contraband. It’s been shut down for over a week.”
Josh Duggar’s prison phone minutes cut down by nearly half and he will now be charged fee to speak to wife Anna and kids
The insider said the temporary ban is to “punish the whole yard” because the warden claims contraband was brought into the prison.
Contraband was allegedly brought into the prison via drones.
“They’ve been shaking down all of the dorms and not letting people outside, it’s not good,” the insider claimed.
“Two dorms, including Josh’s, went on a hunger strike Monday morning in protest.
“The two dorms, which hold several hundred inmates, didn’t go to chow. They’re not eating until they get rec back.”
It is unclear if Josh participated in the hunger strike.
A representative for FCI Seagoville responded to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment at the time, “Currently our recreation yard is open.”
LOVED ONES OUTRAGED
Loved ones turned to social media to express their frustration and receive support.
One wrote in a Facebook group, “They are still doing the shakedowns in each building. I do not know why the whole area is not allowed in the recreation yard.
“They still need outside exercise for their mental health and physical.”
Another said, “My [loved one] said it most likely will be closed the entire time this temporary warden is there. Two to three more weeks.”
A third fired, “This is so wrong!!”
A fourth commented, “Spoke to my husband yesterday, he is in building 53, still not searched… but he did say the rec yard is open again, BUT at certain times and they can’t check out any equipment like basketballs or anything, they can only walk the track or sit on the benches or at the tables.”
JOSH’S DAYS
In exclusive photos obtained by The U.S. Sun, Josh was seen for the first time in years walking around the track on November 22.
Seagoville inmates get recreational time every day in the early morning and in the late afternoon.
The facility offers prisoners pickleball, tennis, basketball, horseshoes, track and more activities.
LIVING CONDITIONS
Fortunately for Josh, his living conditions are considered upscale behind bars.
He was chosen to live in a renovated dorm with special amenities and privileges.
“They finished painting the walls and getting flowers put into Dorm 6, where Josh lives. It’s been turned into an honors dorm,” a source previously claimed to The U.S. Sun.
“They get special privileges and building updates because it’s an honors dorm. There are washers and dryers, microwaves, and more.
“They’re trying to create a dorm of model inmates.”
Josh does not have the qualifications to live in the dorm, as the insider believes he may be getting special treatment because of his celebrity status.
“Josh apparently doesn’t work, but he is getting a degree, and they’re counting that as an exception so he can stay,” the source said.
“According to the rules, he would be disqualified from living there because of his SHU time a couple of years ago, but they’ve decided to waive that for him.”
Josh was thrown into FCI Seagoville’s Special Housing Unit, better known as solitary confinement, in February 2023 when he snuck a cell phone into the prison.
He was released from the SHU months later.
FOOD PROBLEMS
The U.S. Sun has reported inmates are forced to go to the prison’s commissary to avoid “going hungry.”
A source previously told The U.S. Sun, “They’ve been getting half portions of food for months.
“Grits, tiny portions of corn, half rolls, a couple ounces of deli meat, they’re serving them these crazy portions.
“People are having to buy food from the commissary or go hungry, it’s wild.
“Complaints from loved ones have gone nowhere.”
Seagoville responded to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment regarding the food portions, “FCI Seagoville provides all Adults in Custody with food that is consistent with the National Food Menu to include portion size.
“We take all complaints about the institution and services provided very seriously and all complaints are fully investigated.
“Currently, FCI Seagoville has not received any complaints regarding any aspect of the institution’s Food Service Department. “
The U.S. Sun also previously reported, “The food they get is regularly expired. They’re just like really disgustingly expired, always by at least a couple of weeks. And it’s like milk. All sorts of like stuff that can’t be expired for that long.
“They had a run of cereal that had bugs in it, and so people just couldn’t eat their cereal because it was filled with bugs.”
The insider continued to allege that the prison “runs out of food kind of often.”
The source claimed, “It’s only ever been like a one or two-day thing at a time, but the portions are also small enough to where if you can’t afford to buy food on commissary, you’re going hungry.”
Josh Duggar’s Legal Timeline
Former 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar was sentenced to 151 months in prison for downloading and possessing child sex abuse images in December 2021. Here’s the timeline of the ex-reality star’s legal woes.
- Josh was initially accused of downloading child sexual abuse material in May 2019 after an investigation by Homeland Security Investigators.
- Later that November, Homeland Security visited the car dealership where Josh was working to raid his computer.
- On April 29, 2021, Josh was arrested and held without bail at an Arkansas jail.
- He was charged the next day during a hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas via Zoom with receiving and possessing child sex abuse images, to which he pled not guilty.
- Josh’s trial began on November 30, 2021, in a federal courtroom in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and a verdict was reached on December 9, 2021.
- He was found guilty of knowing and receiving child sex abuse material.
- In May 2022, Josh was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $50,100 in fines and special assessments.
- Josh’s legal team later appealed the conviction to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, which was denied in late 2023.
- Shortly after, Josh again appealed for a new trial, with his attorney arguing that federal agents wouldn’t allow Josh to call him at the time of his arrest.
- On June 24, 2024, Josh’s request was again rejected.
JOSH’S LEGAL TROUBLES
Josh was arrested for possessing and receiving child pornography in April 2021.
After a nearly two-week trial in Arkansas, Josh was found guilty of the crimes and sentenced to 151 months in 2022.
His legal team filed an appeal to overturn the conviction and have a new trial in October 2022.
The appeal was denied in November 2023 and the Supreme Court then officially denied the conviction appeal in 2024.
His release date is October 2, 2032.
Josh is married to his wife Anna, 36, who he shares seven young children with and who continues to stand by his side today.
The U.S. Sun obtained photos of Anna out in Arkansas for the first time in years on December 10 with one of their children.
