The entrance to Rikers Island is seen in New York, Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the chief of the International Monetary Fund, spent Monday night at infamous Rikers Island, after he was... (Associated Press) 
 
 Guards at New York City's massive Rikers Island jail complex are taking unusual precautions to make sure IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn doesn't come to any harm behind bars. 
 
 The 62-year-old banker and diplomat has a whole jail wing to himself, a medical device to make sure he doesn't stop breathing during the night and guards checking him 24 hours a day to make sure he doesn't kill himself. 
 
 Since his arraignment Monday on charges that he tried to rape a hotel maid, Strauss-Kahn has been held at Rikers Island, home to thousands of prisoners serving short sentences or inmates awaiting trial. 
 
 Because of his stature, Strauss-Kahn has been assigned to a facility at the jail that normally houses inmates with very contagious diseases, like measles or tuberculosis. 
 
 Department of Correction spokesman Stephen Morello said Strauss-Kahn has been placed in a wing with about 14 cells, all of which are empty except for his. He has his cell to himself, and there is a toilet and sink in the cell. He takes his meals there as well, with breakfast at 5 a.m., lunch at 11 a.m. and dinner at 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. 
 
 All inmates arriving at Rikers Island are given a mental health assessment to determine whether they might pose a suicide risk. 
 
 Norman Seabrook, president of the union that represents corrections officers, said Strauss-Kahn did or said something during that evaluation that made doctors concerned. As a result, he is being monitored day and night. 
 
 A law enforcement official confirmed that Strauss-Kahn had been placed on a suicide watch. 
 
 The official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of prisoner medical information, said Strauss-Kahn had not tried to harm himself and appeared to be in good condition. 
 
 Seabrook said Strauss-Kahn has also been issued a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine, or CPAP, because he suffers from sleep apnea, a common condition that can cause a person to stop breathing for short periods during the night. The patient wears a mask that delivers extra air while they sleep. 
 
 Morello said Strauss-Kahn will be free to leave his cell from time to time and wander the wing, and can leave the building for an hour each day for recreation outdoors, if he chooses. When he does, he will be accompanied by guards and won't encounter other inmates. 
 
 As a pre-trial detainee, Strauss-Kahn isn't required to wear a prison uniform. He may bring his own clothing and wear what he chooses in his cell, whether it be designer suits, or something more casual. There are two exceptions: First, he has had to give up his shoes. All prisoners are required to wear standard-issue, lightweight, slip-on sneakers (although he is allowed to don regular dress shoes for court appearances, if he wishes). Secondly, to see visitors, he is required to put his civilian garb aside and don a gray jumpsuit, specially designed without pockets or other hiding places where contraband could be stashed. 
 
 Prisoners at Rikers Island are not given an inmate number like in the movies, but are identified by a statewide criminal justice system code that sticks with them for life, even if they are incarcerated later somewhere else. Strauss-Kahn's NYSID number is 09132366L. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press video producer Matt Friedman in Washington contributed to this report. ||||| The International Monetary Fund chief accused of sexually assaulting a Manhattan hotel maid is on suicide watch in his Rikers Island cell, NBC New York has learned. 
 
 The special designation for Dominique Strauss-Kahn means he is checked every 15 to 30 minutes and has been given a special prison jumpsuit and shoes that have no laces, a source tells NBC New York. 
 
 The source says a Rikers medical official ordered the suicide watch as a precaution because of his mood and the delicate nature of the case; Strauss-Kahn has not made statements about hurting himself, the source said. 
 
 "While inmate health records are confidential under the law... the Department of Correction follows the same protocol for safety and security of all inmates and that protocol dictates that every inmate is assessed for risk of harm to himself and risk of harm to others," a correction department spokesman said. 
 
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 Strauss-Kahn was arraigned Monday on charges including attempted rape, sex abuse, a criminal sex act, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching. 
 
 His lawyer denies the charges and says there is no evidence of a forced encounter. 
 
 Strauss-Kahn is being held without bail before his next court appearance, scheduled for Friday. 
 
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 The maid's lawyer told NBC New York on Tuesday that her life has been turned "upside down" from the ordeal and says she is in hiding. 
 
 Strauss-Kahn is a member of France's Socialist party and was widely considered the strongest potential challenger to President Nicolas Sarkozy next year. 
 
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– It's a long way from the hotel suites he's used to, but Dominique Strauss-Kahn still has plenty of space to himself. The IMF chief is being held at Rikers Island on sexual assault charges in an empty 14-cell wing of the massive jail, reports AP. He has been placed on suicide watch and issued a medical device to make sure he doesn't stop breathing during the night. The suicide watch was ordered as a precaution, not because Strauss-Kahn seems likely to harm himself, a source tells NBC. Because of his status, the Frenchman was assigned to a facility usually used to house inmates with extremely contagious diseases. Officials say Strauss-Kahn is free to leave his cell and wander the wing from time to time. He is allowed to go outside for recreation for an hour once a day, accompanied by guards, in a spot where he won't encounter other inmates. As a pre-trial detainee, he is not required to wear a prison uniform.