Josh Duggar Placed in Prison’s Solitary Confinement for Alleged Cell Phone Possession

Josh Duggar has been placed in solitary confinement for allegedly possessing a cell phone in prison, according to multiple reports.

The disgraced 19 Kids and Counting alum, 34, was moved to the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Seagoville in Texas, where he is currently serving a 12.5-year sentence on child pornography charges. The conditions of the facility’s solitary confinement area are notoriously “bad,” per multiple reports. 

The latest update about the Arkansas native comes just days before Josh’s legal team is set to appeal his conviction. The father of seven was found guilty of receiving and possessing child pornography in December 2021; however, his attorneys are arguing that the evidence presented by prosecution did not prove that Josh viewed the pornography downloaded to his computer. 

Additionally, Josh and his legal team claim that he was denied the opportunity to question a “potential witness” and that he was questioned by law enforcement without proper representation present. 

In January, a source told In Touch that Josh’s wife, Anna Duggar, has been “constantly praying” about their marriage amid his prison sentence and subsequent appeal as he continues to serve more than a decade behind bars. 

“Anna is still very much questioning their future,” the family insider said. “She took her wedding vows seriously and she wants to stand by her man and all that, but the reality of her situation is very difficult.”

Josh and Anna wed in September 2008 and went on to welcome seven children together: Mackynzie, Maryella, Marcus, Mason, Michael, Meredith and Madyson. The source went on to note that Anna “wants Josh by her side, as a husband and as a father to their children,” however, that “isn’t physically possible for now, or the near future.” 

The insider continued, “Divorce is not something she wants, but she’d be lying if she said she hasn’t questioned her future with Josh. Anna married Josh for better or worse and it can’t get any worse than this.”

Amy Duggar King, meanwhile, had a much different response to the news that Josh had been placed in solitary confinement. Taking to TikTok on Thursday, February 23, Amy, 36, stated she had questions for “the jail” and sarcastically listed off her inquires while using her sunglasses as a well-placed prop. “One: How did he get a cell phone?” she asked. Question number two related to what he was looking at, which Amy responded saying she “didn’t want to know.” “Three: What did he do to get the cell phone?” she said, before questioning who gave him the phone in the first place. Amy has been vocal about her thoughts on Josh and his arrest, using the hashtag “protect children” in her video.

On the other side of the spectrum, Anna, 34, has seemingly stuck by Josh’s side, the former TLC personality’s sister, Jinger Vuolo (née Duggar), did not mince words while opening up about his crimes before the release of her memoir, Becoming Free Indeed, in January. She also admitted she hasn’t spoken to her brother in more than two years. 

“It’s hard to talk about,” she told ABC News. “I talk a little bit about that in the book and how my heart just breaks for the victims and their families – but for all the trail of pain that’s been left behind.”

A lawyer for Josh Duggar did not immediately respond to In Touch’s request for comment.