Prosecutors have requested former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort be sent to Rikers Island for the duration of his state case, according to the New York Times.

Manafort's prosecution originally came in connection to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Manafort pleaded guilty to those charges and since been serving his seven and a half years in federal prison.

The present case is brought on by the Manhattan district attorney. At Rikers, Manafort would most likely be held in isolation for months, leading to his trial in the state of New York for charges of falsifying business records and mortgage fraud.

"It’s a cesspool and it needs to be fixed,” said Duncan Levin, a criminal defense lawyer, to CNBC.

Levin was previously a top prosecutor in Vance’s Manhattan District Attorney's office.

He continued, “It’s not befitting a civilized nation. It doesn’t adequately provide for either the safety for the prisoners or the guards.”

Though some of the charges Manafort faces in his state trial could be thrown out — defendants cannot be charged twice with the same crime — even Manafort's attorney, Todd Blanche, believes the transfer is likely to happen.

Blanche would be taking his client from a minimum-security federal facility in Pennsylvania to one of the most notorious prisons in the country.

“I believe he should be returned to his designated facility, [Loretto], until trial, and when there’s a trial he comes back,” Blanche said. “It’s a much better environment for a 70-year-old man."

Despite hints President Trump could offer a pardon to Manafort, for staying loyal to him, the president would not be able to wield that power with a state conviction.