Derek Chauvin is segregated from other inmates in state's 'most secure unit'

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin spent his first night in prison since his conviction for murdering George Floyd segregated from the other inmates, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Chauvin, found guilty Tuesday in Floyd's death on May 25, is being housed under a form of solitary confinement called "administrative segregation" for his own safety while being held at the Oak Park Heights prison until sentencing in June, said agency spokeswoman Sarah Fitzgerald.

He is in the Administrative Control Unit (ACU), "the state's most secure unit," she said. "Administrative segregation is used when someone's presence in the general population is a safety concern."

Chauvin is among 41 inmates in the ACU. Like Chauvin, some are there under administrative segregation, while others are in the unit for disciplinary reasons and are afforded fewer privileges.

The DOC said the differences in privileges include:

Photos: Administrative, up to 10; disciplinary, none.

Subscription periodicals: Administrative, yes; disciplinary, no.

Radio: Administrative, yes; disciplinary, no.

Extra canteen food: Administrative, yes; disciplinary, no.

Fitzgerald said Chauvin "will have on average an hour a day out of his cell for exercise alone, [and his] meals are delivered to his cell."

All ACU cells are monitored by cameras, with officers also doing rounds at least every 30 minutes. Chauvin is in a single cell and will not have contact with other inmates.

Jurors in Hennepin County District Court found the 45-year-old Chauvin guilty on all counts — second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Judge Peter Cahill read the verdicts at 4:07 p.m. Chauvin then had his bail revoked, was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom. Court TV's livestream showed writing on Chauvin's cuffed left hand as he was escorted out by a sheriff's deputy. That was a phone number for defense attorney Eric Nelson, scrawled there in anticipation of Chauvin's bail being revoked, Nelson told the Star Tribune.

Chauvin was booked about 4:55 p.m. into Oak Park Heights, where he waits it out until sentencing. It is the same prison where he was housed after his initial arrest.

In the meantime, a presentence investigation will be done and submitted to the court.

Star Tribune staff writer Chao Xiong contributed to this report.

paul.walsh@startribune.com 612-673-4482