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‘Killers’ sing karaoke & salsa dance in cushy ward

Some of the city’s most savage criminal suspects are gaming the system at Bellevue Hospital’s prison psych ward, dodging Rikers Island to spend their days singing karaoke and salsa dancing — even though they’re deemed sane enough for trial.

The high-profile inmates include Upper East Side meat-cleaver killer David Tarloff, who was still in the cushy ward over the weekend after being sentenced to life in prison without parole Friday.

David TarloffSteven Hirsch

“They do Shakespeare theater rehearsals, salsa dancing, yoga and watch newly released action movies,” a Correction Department source told The Post.

“The inmates say it’s so great, they don’t want to leave. Bellevue is their penthouse in the sky.”

Mental health experts say most of Bellevue’s prisoner population isn’t even crazy.

“In general, ultimately, almost everybody is found competent to stand trial,” said Paul Appelbaum, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University.

Appelbaum said the inmates are usually sent to Bellevue from Rikers only for more “intensive treatment” before trial. If their symptoms subside with medication, they’re transferred back to Rikers, he said.

Tarloff, 47, was kept at Bellevue but deemed competent to stand trial. He was eventually found guilty of hacking to death psychiatrist Kathryn Faughey, 56, in her office six years ago, then turning the cleaver on her colleague, Dr. Kent Shinbach, during a 2008 robbery attempt.

Tarloff now fancies himself an artist in the psych ward.

“He does finger-painting, dance classes and theater-group sessions where he recites Shakespearean dramas,” the source said.

Another Bellevue inmate, Joseph McRae, 24, was allegedly caught on video decking a medical intern at Rikers’ George R. Vierno Center on April 16. He was promptly transferred to Bellevue.

He had originally been arrested July 30 for slugging a woman in the face at Penn Station.

In general, ultimately, almost everybody is found competent to stand trial.

 - Prof. Paul Appelbaum, Columbia University

But while the woman suffered a broken jaw and had to undergo surgery at Queens General Hospital, McRae has been “treated like royalty” at Bellevue, sources said.

“He’s painting pictures of 50 Cent and singing Beyoncé songs,” the source said. “They call it art therapy and drama therapy. It’s a joke!”

Anthony Powe, 27, was transferred to Bellevue in March after allegedly stabbing his father to death and wounding his mother with scissors in their Upper West Side apartment.

Police caught Powe on East 96th Street after he ran in his underwear through Central Park. He was charged with murder and attempted murder. His next court date is May 27.

Then there’s Terrance Hale, 28, who has been enjoying Camp Bellevue since April 2012, when he was arrested for allegedly plunging a 3½-inch blade into the skull of NYPD Officer Eder Loor in East Harlem.

Loor, in his late 20s, nearly bled to death. He spent 15 days in the hospital, and doctors say he has a long road to recovery.

Hale was indicted on a charge of first-degree attempted murder. His next court appearance is June 6.

Terrance HaleSteven Hirsch

Powe, Hale and McRae are still under mental evaluation to determine their suitability for trial.

The city Department of Correction said the ward’s inmates were being kept there for good reason.

“The Bellevue prison ward houses severely mentally ill inmates who cannot reside in a jail and complies with our legal obligations and best psychiatric practice,” a spokesman said.

Noting Bellevue is part of a “continuum of mental-health services” for inmates, a department source said: “In almost all cases, DOC plays no role in the decision to place inmates at Bellevue. That decision is based on clinical evaluations made by doctors.”