Martha Stewart has opened up about her time in prison after being convicted on charges, including conspiracy and obstruction of justice, related to a stock sale. She served five months in a West Virginia facility and was released in March 2005.
In a new Netflix documentary, Stewart recounts being incarcerated and describes a troubling incident where she was deprived of food and water for days following a minor encounter with a guard.
Stewart shared personal letters with filmmaker R. J. Cutler for the documentary “Martha.” In these letters, she explains that she ended up in solitary confinement after lightly brushing against a guard’s keychain during a brief interaction. “Today I saw two very well-dressed ladies walking, and I breezed by them, commenting on the lovely morning and how nice they looked. When I realized they were guards from their big silver keychains, I lightly brushed the chain,” she wrote.
Initially, she thought the incident was trivial, but she learned the severity of the situation when she was reprimanded and warned never to touch a guard again.
Stewart described her prison experience as “terrible,” detailing the humiliating process of undergoing a physical exam that involved being stripped and instructed to cough. “I had to go through all that stuff you see in the movies. You can’t even believe that’s what you’re experiencing,” she remarked.
She also expressed discomfort with her “double-decker bedstead metal spring and metal frame” and the poor quality of the food. “The springs are very saggy and thus an unhealthy bed set. I would actually prefer the top, but at over 62 years old, you automatically get assigned a lower bunk,” she wrote.
The documentary “Martha” is set to stream on Netflix starting October 30.
In response to Stewart’s allegations, a representative for the Federal Bureau of Prisons stated, “Every individual is provided with the basic necessities of life, including regular meals three times a day and access to potable water, regardless of their housing situation.”
