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The wing where Mr. Epstein was housed, 9 South, is the less restrictive of the jail’s two most secure units, holding dozens of inmates, usually in groups of two in small cells.

There, he was allowed one hour of recreation per day and could shower every two to three days, according to prison officials. Aside from meetings with lawyers, his contact with the outside world was severely limited.

Beyond its isolation, the wing is infested with rodents and cockroaches, and inmates often have to navigate standing water — as well as urine and fecal matter — that spills from faulty plumbing, accounts from former inmates and lawyers said.

One lawyer said mice often eat his clients’ papers.

Mr. Epstein tried desperately to ingratiate himself with fellow inmates, the consultant who had spoken with inmates said. He had heard from two inmates that Mr. Epstein transferred money into at least three other inmates’ commissary accounts — an exercise often used in the jail to buy protection.

It was clear early on that Mr. Epstein was desperate to leave 9 South.

After his arrest, he asked a judge to release him on a substantial bond, pledging to put up his Manhattan mansion and his jet as collateral. He would hire round-the-clock security guards, he said, who would “virtually guarantee” that he would not flee.

The judge denied the request on July 18, and Mr. Epstein stayed in 9 South.

The possible suicide attempt

Five days later, Mr. Epstein was found unconscious in his cell, with marks on his neck.

His cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, a former suburban New York police officer accused of a quadruple homicide, summoned guards, and Mr. Epstein was revived, according to Mr. Tartaglione’s lawyer, Bruce Barket.