As we covered here previously, the Harvey Weinstein trial ended with a couple of convictions and he’s still facing a new trial on sexual assault charges in California. Given his age and health considerations, people are already wondering if Weinstein might consider taking the fast way out, as Jeffrey Epstein allegedly did. (Insert hashtag for Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself here at your leisure.) So what is the New York correctional system planning to do about that? Quite a bit from the sound of things. (NY Post)

Convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein will get special treatment in custody — because officials fear another “Epstein incident,” sources told The Post.

Still reeling from the uproar after pedophile Jeffrey Epstein managed to hang himself in his Manhattan lockup last year, jail officials are taking extraordinary steps to monitor their newest high-profile inmate.

Weinstein will always have his own cell, will constantly have a dedicated team of correction officers with him — and could even be shipped to a facility outside the city, sources said.

“The last thing you want is another Jeffrey Epstein incident,” a jail source told The Post.

Is this really an issue? Of course, as soon as I typed those words I realized that it’s obviously an issue. The general consensus is that Epstein might have killed himself, but that’s far from obvious and a lot of questions remain.

Would Weinstein kill himself in jail if given the opportunity? Would anyone “help” him in the effort? It seems obvious that he’s been in contact with a lot of powerful people over the years and plenty of people might have reason to be nervous. But if he was going to squeal, wouldn’t he have done it already to save his own bacon?

That’s a tough call. Rose McGowan has rather famously accused Ben Affleck of having been a pal of Weinstein’s who served up young women for him. The list goes on from there.

Nobody can draw a straight line from any powerful political figures like the Clintons to Weinstein, though hints are out there. But would Weinstein take his own life in custody rather than facing a potential life sentence behind bars? It sounds as if the New York correctional system wants to make sure they don’t have a repeat of the Epstein debacle. They’ll be keeping him under constant video surveillance with real human beings watching his every move.

Will that be enough? It didn’t work out for Jeffrey Epstein. Let’s see if it is for Weinstein.