Josh Duggar has been moved to a “renovated” prison dorm and granted “special privileges” as he serves his 151-month sentence for child pornography charges.
“They finished painting the walls and getting flowers put into Dorm 6, where Josh lives. It’s been turned into an honors dorm,” a source told The U.S. Sun on Friday, September 27.
Josh, 36, is currently serving his sentence at FCI Seagoville in Dallas, Texas, where he has received preferential treatment, including access to “washers, dryers, microwaves, and more,” along with “building updates” due to his placement in an “honors dorm.”
The source told the outlet that in order to receive the extra incentives, inmates “can’t have any disciplinary actions in a certain amount of time, have to have a job and must sign a code of conduct agreement.” The insider claimed that Josh appeared to have received “special treatment,” as he hasn’t met the qualifications to reside in the dorm.
“Josh apparently doesn’t work, but he is getting a degree and they’re counting that as an exception so he can stay,” the source alleged. “According to the rules, he would be disqualified from living there because of his SHU time a couple of years ago, but they’ve decided to waive that for him.”
The 19 Kids and Counting alum has been behind bars since December 2021, before being found guilty following a nine-day trial of one count of receiving child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography. The second charge was ultimately dismissed during his sentencing hearing in May 2022.
Josh was originally scheduled to be released on August 12, 2032, but his sentence was extended to October 2, 2032, after it was allegedly discovered that he possessed a cell phone and he was moved to the facility’s Special Housing Unit (SHU) in March 2023.
After Josh’s initial sentencing, his legal team filed an appeal seeking a new trial, aiming to “suppress incriminating statements” he made to federal authorities. They also sought to overturn a lower court’s ruling that barred the mention of another individual’s prior sex offense convictions during the trial.
In October 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld Josh’s conviction. Almost a year later, the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal in June.
A source close to the disgraced reality TV star exclusively told In Touch on July 10 that he “is out of options,” adding that he’s considering writing a tell-all book. “He’s blaming everything and everybody except himself for the Supreme Court’s decision not to overturn his child porn conviction.”
“He has nothing to lose at this point, and certainly his wife could use the money,” the source says of his wife of 16 years, Anna Duggar, who shares seven kids with him — daughters Mackynzie, Meredith Grace, Maryella Hope and Madyson and sons Michael, Marcus and Mason.
“Finances are a huge issue right now, so a book would mean a big payday for Josh. And no one would be off limits — including this own family,” the insider concluded.
A separate source told In Touch that everyone familiar with the former reality TV star seemed to be on edge. “Everyone is walking with a dark cloud over them because Josh is vowing to get even with the people who he feels haven’t supported him.”
