The man accused of assassinating Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is being held under strict supervision in a Utah jail, according to a former federal corrections official. Experts say the strict conditions are focused on safety, not silence.

Why Tyler Robinson Is Under Strict Watch

Tyler Robinson, 22, remains in custody after allegedly shooting and killing Kirk during a Utah Valley University event on September 10. He faces seven charges, including aggravated homicide, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering, with the homicide charge carrying the possibility of the death penalty.

According to Judi Garrett, a former assistant director for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, it would be reckless for officials to treat Robinson like any other inmate. “Somebody like that, like the alleged Charlie Kirk assassin, is in a very different circumstance,” Garrett told Fox News. “Any custodian of someone like that would be remiss in not treating him very differently from most everyone else in their population.”

Garrett explained that inmate separation isn’t necessarily punishment, but protection. “The concept of isolating an inmate, removing them from the general population, is either for their own protection or for the protection of others,” she said.

Life Under Constant Surveillance

Garrett said she would imagine Robinson is confined to his cell for “essentially 23 or so hours a day,” describing what such a high-security arrangement typically looks like before trial. Meals, medical visits, and showers are either conducted within the cell or under escort.

“When someone is removed from the general population, everything flips,” Garrett explained. “The meals are brought to their cell. The doctor comes to their cell. The idea is you want to remove someone from their cell as least often as possible, because it takes a lot of staff resources to do that.”

Despite the term solitary confinement, Garrett stressed that such inmates “are not isolated from people.” Staff enter regularly to deliver food, medical care, and other services, though most interactions are brief and closely monitored.

Suicide Garb and Security Protocols

During Robinson’s first virtual court appearance, he was seen wearing what officials described as “suicide garb.” Authorities have not confirmed whether he remains on suicide watch, but Garrett said the precaution fits standard practice.

“If you’re on a suicide watch, you want someone to lay eyes on them every 15 minutes,” she said, adding that the system is “necessary and very wise” to prevent harm to both inmates and staff.

Inmates under such supervision, she noted, are often housed alone. “It’s a more uncomfortable existence,” Garrett said, “but sometimes it’s absolutely necessary for safety.”

Limited Contact With the Outside World

Even under heavy restrictions, Robinson retains communication with his attorneys and limited contact with family. “He is certainly allowed to communicate with his lawyer,” Garrett said, but phone calls with relatives are likely infrequent and tightly controlled. “The phone would need to be brought to him.”

Every message or call, except those between attorney and client, is monitored. “Inmate communications outside of communications with counsel are certainly monitored always,” she said.

Garrett emphasized that these protocols aren’t about punishment or pity. They’re about control and prevention. “Most importantly, 96, 7, 8, 9 percent of them return to the community at some point,” she said. “If you mistreat people in prison, they are going to mistreat someone else. So it’s to everyone’s benefit to operate institutions that are humane.”

Even in high-security or death-row units, she explained, extreme caution protects both inmates and staff. “Those folks don’t have much to lose,” Garrett noted. “So humane, structured oversight is critical to safety.”

Awaiting Trial

Robinson was arrested in St. George, Utah, hours after the shooting, allegedly after making incriminating statements to friends and family. Authorities have described the incident as a targeted assassination, saying Robinson fatally shot Kirk during a campus event at Utah Valley University before fleeing the scene.

He now awaits trial, and experts say inmates in his situation are typically held under strict, highly monitored routines that can be both uncomfortable and necessary. While his world has shrunk to a single cell, the attention surrounding his case, and the life he’s accused of taking, continues to grow far beyond its walls.