Young Mr. Rittenhouse will be going to jail. This is a political trial that he cannot win, regardless whether he is guilty or not. (For the record, I believe he acted in self-defense and is therefore not guilty.) He really needs to be thinking about how he is going to survive in the big house.
The judge seems to be trying to be fair, unlike the Chauvin judge. So, maybe he has half a chance. Depends on the jury.
But I agree with you otherwise. If he does wind up in prison he will most likely spend a LOT of time in solitary confinement. For his safety. Which it will be to some extent, but also as a means of torturing him. The government in WI is not happy with him, obviously, and will do everything they can to break him.
He’s over 18 now, so he won’t go to juvie. His best bet will probably be to get with the Jesus freaks, or some non-gang group that can still offer a degree of protection if he’s not in solitary. Worst thing he could do would be to align with a white gang like Aryan Nation. That would just harden the perception that he was a white supremacist from the beginning.