He’s a suicide risk. The authorities are mishandling this situation, just as they did with Lee Harvey Oswald. There, we lost forever the possibility that he would reveal important information.

Same situation here.  We want Madoff to reveal what he did with the money, where it is, how it bloomed under the watchful eye of a government agency, and whether any of it is recoverable. He needs to be in jail, under 24 hour suicide watch.

One explanation is that the government wants him to kill himself, or be available to be killed, ostensibly and believably by some disgruntled investor.  He would take some very tricky questions and answers with him.  Sorry to be so cynical, but monitor this.  Another rumor-fed legend may be in the making, and fifty billion dollars is a lot of money.