As Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team attempts to appeal his four-year/50-month prison sentence, the embattled mogul remains incarcerated. 56-year-old Combs has been serving his time at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey since being transferred there in the fall of 2025. Various reports have included alleged details about the state of the facility, and at least one ex-resident has spoken out about the conditions. Now, another former inmate is sharing thoughts, specifically regarding why they consider the prison to be a “zoo.”
Fort Dix is a low-security prison, and it reportedly includes communal bathrooms and military-style bunk beds, per Us Weekly. The news outlet spoke to a former inmate, who served time at the facility for 17 months between 2019 and 2020. Unnamed by the publication, this individual’s take on the prison was less than flattering, as he made claims about how it allegedly fell short of specific standards in various regards:
There’s one bathroom per floor with toilets and showers and everything is broken. A lot of the food is expired. It’s horrible. They don’t care. I was there a day and a half, and I [told a] kid [I just met], ‘This isn’t a jail, this is an insane asylum!’ and he agreed. It was a zoo.
Combs transferred to Fort Dix from the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, which is reportedly a rough facility, despite having been referred to as a “celebrity jail.” The “Coming Home” rapper allegedly had a “horrible” time at the MDC and was eager to be transferred. However, before that transfer, former reality TV star Joe Giudice warned Combs that Fort Dix was dangerous and that he’d witnessed violence and gang activity while serving there. Giudice shared more thoughts on staying safe in the prison.
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Around last November, Diddy was involved in a supposed knife attack, with a friend of his claiming he woke up to find a knife at his neck. Much of that scenario turned out to be untrue, however, as Raymond Castillo – the man who reportedly protected Combs during that attack – said the rapper was wide awake when it happened. The situation was apparently initiated after an inmate repeatedly requested a chair Combs was sitting in while watching TV. While the confrontation apparently got tense, Combs reportedly got out of it unscathed.
That incident aside, reports have indicated that the former Sean John figurehead has settled into prison life at Fort Dix. One of his lawyers, Juda Engelmayer, also told Us that her client had been “trying to be one of the guys” while remaining “congenial and helpful.” Additionally, a major reason Combs reportedly wanted to serve his time in that specific facility was so that he could take part in its Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). Inmates who participate in the program also have the opportunity to shave time off their sentences.
Whether time will indeed be taken of Diddy’s sentence is uncertain as is whether his appeal attempt will be successful. The rapper’s attorneys have argued that Judge Arun Subramanian’s sentencing was too substantial in relation to the two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution that he was convicted on. Also, Combs’ lawyers have argued that the recordings of his Freak-Offs represent voyeurism (or the practice of watching sexual acts) and that said photography is protected by the First Amendment.
Oral arguments from Sean Combs’ legal team were heard by a three-judge panel in New York City in August, and there’s been no indication as to when a decision will be delivered. In the meantime, Combs will remain at Fort Dix, and time will tell if others choose to speak out about their experiences within the penitentiary.
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