Lil Durk has reportedly spent 131 days in solitary confinement at a Los Angeles federal facility, as his legal team challenges what they describe as unconstitutional conditions tied to an alleged Apple Watch violation. According to The Source and HotNewHipHop, attorneys for the Chicago rapper, born Durk Banks, say he has been held in isolation at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center for more than four months “without process,” raising questions about due process and prisoner treatment in the federal system.[2][1]
In a recent motion filed by attorney Christy O’Connor, Durk is described as being confined to a “very small jail cell, just large enough for a single bed, a toilet, and a sink,” for 23 hours a day, with no access to commissary.[1][2] According to The Source, O’Connor further states that Lil Durk is allowed only one phone call per month and receives no in-person social visits, conditions his team argues are excessively punitive for an alleged rules infraction involving possession of an unauthorized Apple Watch.[2] HotNewHipHop notes that his lawyers frame the extended isolation as a potential violation of his constitutional rights, including protections under the Eighth Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment.[1]
Reports from Hot 97 and KYSDC echo the 131-day figure, with both outlets stating that Lil Durk has allegedly been held in solitary confinement for “over four months” as a result of the Apple Watch dispute.[3][4] The Source cites Complex in reporting that officials at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center have provided conflicting explanations for the length of his solitary confinement, prompting his legal team to formally challenge the rationale and seek relief through the courts.[2] In filings cited by HotNewHipHop, Durk’s attorneys reference public health research on the “deleterious” psychological effects of long-term solitary confinement, underscoring elevated risks of depression, anxiety, and self-harm among inmates subjected to such conditions.[1]
Lil Durk has been held in federal custody since 2024 on serious charges, including conspiracy and firearm-related counts, to which he has pleaded not guilty, with trial reportedly scheduled for later this year.[1] For hip-hop, his prolonged isolation arrives at a time when Durk remains one of the genre’s most commercially visible and influential artists, intensifying industry and fan concern over his well-being. As his legal team continues to challenge his confinement conditions, the case is poised to spotlight broader debates about solitary confinement, carceral transparency, and how the U.S. justice system treats high-profile defendants, especially Black artists, in federal custody.
