Conrad Murray 'Dying' in Jail, Asks Judge to Send Him to Prison

By Deanne Katz, Esq. on June 19, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Dr. Conrad Murray is finding out that jail is no picnic and he's asked Judge Michael Pastor to transfer him out of Los Angeles County jail.

Murray was Michael Jackson's physician at the time of Jackson's death in 2009. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death and sentenced to four years behind bars. Murray has served less than a year since the sentencing in November 2011, but he says he can't handle the conditions in jail.

Murray isn't the only celebrity complaining about jail conditions. Floyd Mayweather Jr. complained earlier this month about the conditions in Clark County jail in Las Vegas.

Unlike Mayweather, Murray isn't asking to serve his sentence out under house arrest - he wants the judge to send him to prison.

Murray only gets outdoor access once a month and clean underwear once a week, as reported by his lawyer, Valerie Wass. He's been suffering from a headache during the last few weeks which is out of character for a man who claims to never get headaches.

In a statement of real fear or calculated hypochondria, Murray reportedly told Wass, ""I may not make it out of here alive. This is a very dangerous place. I'm in here dying. The system is intent on killing me."

For whatever reason, Murray thinks the conditions will be better if he's moved to prison. His belief that prison conditions will be an improvement is interesting given California's history of problems surrounding the prison system. Last year the Supreme Court determined that California's prisons were so overcrowded that they violated the Eighth Amendment.

Since then California has reduced its prison population as required by the court. As of this month, the prison is at just under 137.5% of design capacity, according to the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation.

If Conrad Murray is transferred from LA County jail to a state prison, he will be sent to this arguably still overcrowded system. Whether that happens and if the prison is a step up from LA County remains to be seen.

[6/19/2012 3:15 pm PST Editor's note: This post was updated to clarify California's decreasing of the prison population since the Supreme Court's ruling.]

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