The Department of Justice’s newly released files include prison records and a suicide‑risk assessment from Jeffrey Epstein’s time at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. A July 23 incident was attributed by Epstein to "sleep apnea," and a July 26 observation noted he "does not like pain and never attempt to harm himself." An Aug. 1 assessment quoted Epstein saying his Jewish faith forbids suicide and rated his acute suicide risk as low; he denied suicidal thoughts on Aug. 8 and was found dead on Aug. 10, 2019.
DOJ Files: Days Before His Death, Jeffrey Epstein Said His Jewish Faith Forbade Suicide
Rick Friedman/Corbis via GettyJeffrey Epstein
Newly released Department of Justice files offer fresh detail about Jeffrey Epstein's mental state while he awaited federal sex‑trafficking trial at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City. The records include prison observations, a suicide‑risk assessment and notes from late July and early August 2019 — days before Epstein was found dead in his cell on Aug. 10, 2019, in a death ruled a suicide.
What the Records Show
The documents describe a possible self‑harm incident on July 23, 2019. According to the notes, Epstein told interviewers he "could not remember what happened" that day and attributed the lapse to his "sleep apnea."
During a psychological observation on July 26, 2019, staff recorded that Epstein "does not like pain and never attempt (sic) to harm himself."
"He said he is Jewish and he said in his religion suicide is against the religion." — Suicide‑risk assessment, Aug. 1, 2019
Most notably, a suicide‑risk assessment dated Aug. 1, 2019 quoted Epstein saying his Jewish faith forbids suicide. The assessment concluded that his "current protective factors override his risk factors for suicidality," termed him "currently psychologically stable," and rated his "overall acute suicide risk" as "low."
The records also note that Epstein denied suicidal ideation on Aug. 8, 2019, two days before he was found hanged in his cell on Aug. 10, 2019. His death was later ruled a suicide.
Release, Redactions and Broader Context
This batch of documents was released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress in November and signed into law by President Donald Trump. The statute requires the Department of Justice to make investigation materials public but permits redactions for sensitive content, including material that could identify victims. Many items in the release remain redacted.
Some files reference public figures. President Trump’s name appears multiple times and a photo of Trump with Epstein briefly was removed from the DOJ website before being restored after public backlash; the DOJ has said the released materials contain "untrue and sensationalist claims" about the president. Other images include well‑known individuals such as former President Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Michael Jackson and Kevin Spacey.
The documents also reiterate Epstein’s long‑time association with Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20‑year federal sentence after her conviction on sex‑trafficking charges.
These records do not resolve lingering public questions about Epstein’s death, but they shed additional light on how prison staff assessed his mental state in the days before he was found dead.
