He will go to jail, pay $200,000 and leave: Donald Trump will turn himself in tomorrow, Thursday, to the authorities of the state of Georgia, whose prosecutor brought charges against him for trying to overturn the result of his presidential election 2020, but will be released immediately from the Fulton County Jail.

Like the other 18 defendants in this case, the former president has until Friday at noon (19:00 Greek time) to appear at this prison in Atlanta.

But he will not be taken into custody under a plea deal he entered into, which calls for him to post $200,000 bail.

It is not yet known whether Trump will follow the process provided for all those charged against him because of his status as a former president. Based on the regulations that apply throughout the US, the authorities electronically take the fingerprints of the accused and take two photographs of them, known as “mugshots”.

The three previous times Trump has been indicted — in New York, Florida and Washington — he has not been forced to undergo the photo process because he is so well known.

But Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labatt said earlier this month that he wants to treat all defendants equally. “It doesn’t matter who you are, we are ready to take your picture,” he had emphasized.

The procedure, to which two of the other 18 defendants in the case were already submitted yesterday, Tuesday, also provides for the recording in the records of the correctional authorities of height, weight, skin color and eyes.

“Insects and Violence”

In a statement, the campaign team of Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination ahead of the 2024 presidential election, expressed outrage that the former president will surrender on Thursday to a “brutal prison.”

In fact, the US Department of Justice had announced in July the start of an investigation into the detention conditions at Fulton prison.

Justice Minister Merrick Garland had justified this decision by referring to “serious allegations of lack of security and sanitary conditions, use of excessive force (…), discrimination against prisoners suffering from psychiatric problems and lack of medical care”.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan agreed, citing “recent allegations of disgusting insect-infested cells, increasing violence leading to deaths and injuries, and excessive use of force by correctional officers.”

According to local media, this prison holds more than 2,500 prisoners, double its official capacity. Fifteen died last year and four more since the beginning of July.

Fulton County recently reached an agreement to pay $4 million in damages to the family of a homeless inmate with schizophrenia who was found dead in a cell infested with lice and bed bugs.

A coroner’s report requested by his relatives said the prisoner’s death was caused by “complications due to gross negligence”. The medical examiner pointed out that the 35-year-old was suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, while adding that lice may be responsible for the anemia he was experiencing.

Trump won’t be spending much time in Fulton prison, and tight security will be in place while he is there.

“When the former president surrenders, the area around the jail will be locked down, meaning no one will be able to leave or enter during that time,” the sheriff’s office announced.