Music

Pooh Shiesty Says He’s Locked Up 23 Hours Per Day

His attorneys filed an emergency motion seeking to end his solitary confinement, as well as restoring his minimum visitation hours, as he awaits his trial.

Pooh Shiesty performs onstage during 2021 Shiesty Season Spring Fest.
Paras Griffin/Getty

Key Takeaways

  • Pooh Shiesty’s attorneys filed an emergency motion asking the court to end his 23-hour-per-day isolation at Texas’ Rolling Plains Regional Jail and restore his guaranteed visitation time.
  • His lawyers say he has no significant disciplinary history and received only a “vague statement” that the restrictions were meant to protect him.
  • The jail allegedly limits Shiesty to two visitation hours per month, instead of the guaranteed four, as he awaits his February 2027 trial.

An emergency motion has been filed on behalf of Pooh Shiesty requesting that the court intervene in regards to the treatment of the rapper behind bars.

In the document, filed on Thursday (October 15) and obtained by Complex, attorneys for the rapper, real name Lontrell Williams Jr., claim the Rolling Plains Regional Jail in Texas has cut the rapper’s monthly visitation hours from the Bureau of Prisons-guaranteed minimum of four hours to two, and that the facility is keeping him confined to his cell for 23 hours per day.

His lawyers argue that there is no reason for either move. The rapper, they say, has not gained a significant disciplinary history or engaged in violent or threatening conduct while locked up. The only reason provided for his isolation has been a “vague statement” claiming it is for his protection.

“He has not been told who or what poses a threat to him, and no one has explained why confining him to his cell 23 hours per day is necessary to address it,” the document reads.

Shiesty has informed his legal team that this isolation has affected his mental health, resulting in difficulty sleeping and increased anxiety.

As for the complaint about visitation limits, his attorneys cite an incident in August where his aunt traveled from Memphis to see him at RPRJ, only for their visit to be cut short after one hour.

“Staff explained that Mr. Williams is limited to two hours of visitation per month in total, and that his girlfriend had already used an hour of that monthly allotment approximately two weeks earlier, on or about August 13, 2026,” the document reads.

“To visit him, I must take time off from work and incur significant travel expenses,” his aunt wrote in an attached declaration. “Given the distance traveled and the time invested, a one-hour visit is simply not enough time for meaningful interaction with my loved one. The amount of travel required far exceeds the time we are permitted to spend together.”

She also noted that she has “seen Lontrell decline mentally and emotionally since he was moved to the jail in Haskell. He is worn down, extremely anxious, and seems severely depressed from being locked in a small room for most of the day, every day, with only two hours per month to see a family member in person.”

Pooh Shiesty’s attorneys are asking the court to step in and direct the Marshals Service to assure that he receives his guaranteed minimum hours of visitation and does not continue to stay in solitary confinement for 23 hours per day ahead of his trial.

The rapper’s attorney Kent Schaffer explained to Complex why he filed the motion.

“We filed a motion seeking humane treatment for Lontrell while he is incarcerated,” he explained via email. “Although he has not been convicted or involved in any type of violent acts in jail, he is locked down 23 hours per day and only allowed two hours of visitation per month. He has little to no human conduct and that can wear anyone down physically, mentally, and emotionally. Pre-trial incarceration is not supposed to be punitive so we are trying to get the court to step in and put an end to it.”

Complex has also reached out the US Marshals Service, the Bureau of Prisons, and a spokesperson for the company that runs Rolling Plains. None have responded as of this writing.

Pooh Shiesty’s trial for his alleged robbery and kidnapping of Gucci Mane is scheduled to begin in Feb. 2027.

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