纽约时报 亿万富豪杰弗里·爱普斯坦狱中自杀(2)

It is impossible to know why a person takes his own life.

要弄清楚一个人为什么自杀是不可能的。

But an examination of Mr. Epstein’s last days by The New York Times,

不过，《纽约时报》对爱普斯坦最后几天的情况进行了调查——

gathered from dozens of interviews with law enforcement officials, Bureau of Prisons employees, lawyers and others,

对执法官员、监狱管理局雇员、律师等人展开了数十次的采访——

suggests that Mr. Epstein’s death came after he started to realize the limits of his ability to deploy¹ his wealth and privilege in the legal system.

调查表明，爱普斯坦是在意识到面对法律体系，自己运用财富和特权的能力有限之后去世的。

The people who described their interactions with Mr. Epstein and the conditions in the jail almost all spoke² only on condition of anonymity³,

向本刊透露自己与爱普斯坦有过接触以及监狱环境的知情人士几乎均要求匿名，

in large part because Epstein’s death is now the subject of at least two major federal inquiries⁴ into the failure to closely monitor such a high-profile prisoner.

很大程度上是因为就目前来看，爱普斯坦的死已经成为至少两起重大的，针对联邦监狱为何未能密切监视如此知名的一名囚犯而展开的联邦调查的对象。

Mr. Epstein’s lawyers have not responded to questions about his time at the jail or whether they believe that he was not properly monitored.

爱普斯坦的律师团队没有回答有关他在监狱服刑期间的问题，也没有回答他们是否认为他没有受到适当的监控的问题。

After his suicide, they issued a short statement.

爱普斯坦自杀后，他们发表了一份简短的声明。

“No one should die in jail,” they said.

“任何人都不应死在监狱，”声明中写道。

Jeffrey Epstein feared life behind bars, according to people who knew him.

据了解杰弗里·爱普斯坦的人透露，爱普斯坦害怕承受牢狱之苦。

A few years ago, on the second floor of his Upper East Side mansion⁵, he had a mural painted

几年前，他曾聘人给他位于上东区的豪宅的二楼画了一幅壁画，

that shows a photorealistic prison scene, with barbed wire, correction officers and a guard station.

画中是颇为逼真的一个监狱场景，有带刺的铁丝网、狱警，还有一个岗亭。

Mr. Epstein himself is portrayed⁶ in the middle,

爱普斯坦本人位于画幅中央，

and he told a visitor earlier this year that he wanted the mural to remind him of what could await him if he was not careful.

今年早些时候，他曾对一位访客说，他希望这幅壁画能提醒自己，如果不小心，等待他的将是怎样的下场。

Mr. Epstein had successfully used his wealth to skirt punitive⁷ conditions in his 2008 brush with authorities in Florida,

原来，2008年时，爱普斯坦就曾与佛罗里达州当局发生过摩擦，但他成功地利用自己的财富规避了应受的惩罚，

when his team of elite⁸ lawyers negotiated a much-criticized deal with federal prosecutors⁹

当时，他聘请的精英级别的律师团队与联邦检察官达成了一项备受外界批评的协议，

to allow him to plead guilty to state charges of soliciting¹⁰ a minor¹¹ for prostitution.

协议允许他认罪，承认联邦政府对他提出的诱骗未成年少女卖淫的指控。

In return, Mr. Epstein was shielded from federal sex-trafficking charges.

作为回报，爱普斯坦可免于受到联邦政府的性交易指控。

He served 13 months at the Palm Beach County stockade¹² and was allowed to leave custody¹³ and work out of an office six days a week.

他在棕榈滩县的监狱里服刑13个月，还可离开拘留所，一周可在办公室工作六天。

But this time was different.

然而，今时不同往日。

After Mr. Epstein was arrested on July 6 on a new federal indictment¹⁴,

7月6日，爱普斯坦因一项新的联邦指控被捕，

he ended up in a cell in the special housing unit in the Metropolitan¹⁵ Correctional Center,

最后被关进了大都会惩教中心的禁闭室，

a rust-colored fortress¹⁶ in Lower Manhattan where many of the inmates¹⁷ are awaiting trial on federal charges.

大都会惩教中心是曼哈顿下城区一座铁锈色城堡样式的监狱，里面关押着许多等待联邦指控最终审判的囚犯。

The jail has often held high-profile prisoners.

经常有大名鼎鼎的罪犯到该监狱服刑。

Joaquín Guzman Loera, the drug lord known as El Chapo, was housed there after two escapes from high-security Mexican prisons.

华金·古兹曼·洛埃拉，绰号“矮子”的毒枭，两次从墨西哥戒备森严的监狱越狱后就被关到了这里。

Other inmates have included Bernard L. Madoff, who masterminded a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

其他曾被关在此地的名人有伯纳德·L·马多夫，他曾策划了一起涉案金额高达数十亿美元的庞氏骗局。

It is notorious for miserable¹⁸ conditions, particularly in the higher-security units.

该监狱的生活环境，尤其是较高安全级别的牢房的生活环境是出了名的恶劣。

Mr. Guzman and the mob boss John Gotti, who were housed in the most secure wing, often complained (garnering little sympathy in response).

古兹曼和黑帮老大约翰·戈蒂二人都曾被关押在最高安全级别的牢房内，二人曾经常就此颇有怨言（但几乎未能博得任何同情）。

The staffing problems at the jail are emblematic¹⁹ of a larger shortage of correctional officers in federal jails and prisons across the country.

该监狱的人员配备问题折射出了全国各地的联邦监狱普遍存在的惩教人员严重短缺的问题。

1 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

4 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

6 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 punitive   

adj.惩罚的，刑罚的

参考例句：

• They took punitive measures against the whole gang.他们对整帮人采取惩罚性措施。
• The punitive tariff was imposed to discourage tire imports from China.该惩罚性关税的征收是用以限制中国轮胎进口的措施。

8 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

9 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

10 soliciting   

v.恳求( solicit的现在分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求

参考例句：

• A prostitute was soliciting on the street. 一名妓女正在街上拉客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• China Daily is soliciting subscriptions. 《中国日报》正在征求订户。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

12 stockade   

n.栅栏，围栏；v.用栅栏防护

参考例句：

• I had not gone a hundred yards when I reached the stockade.我跑了不到一百码，就到了栅栏前。
• A heavy stockade around the cabin protected the pioneer from attack.小屋周围的厚厚的栅栏保护拓荒者免受攻击。

13 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

14 indictment   

n.起诉；诉状

参考例句：

• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
• They issued an indictment against them.他们起诉了他们。

15 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

16 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。

17 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

19 emblematic   

adj.象征的，可当标志的；象征性

参考例句：

• The violence is emblematic of what is happening in our inner cities. 这种暴力行为正标示了我们市中心贫民区的状况。
• Whiteness is emblematic of purity. 白色是纯洁的象征。 来自辞典例句