Feds say conditions at Fulton County Jail are unconstitutionally bad

ATLANTA, Ga. — Jail officials in Georgia’s most populous county violated the constitutional rights of detainees by failing to protect them from violence, using excessive force and keeping them in dirty and unsafe conditions, U.S. Justice Department officials said Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that conditions at the infamous Fulton County Jail violate the 8th and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office failed to adequately protect jail inmates from violence, including stabbings, sexual abuse and murder, by other detainees, federal officials allege in a lengthy report detailing the alleged abuses and offering remedial measures that could be taken. Vulnerable groups, including gay, transgender, young people or people with serious mental illness, are particularly at risk from violence that causes physical injuries and long-term trauma, the report says.

“Our investigation reveals long-standing, unconstitutional, illegal and dangerous conditions that endangered the lives and well-being of people held there,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said at a news conference in Atlanta.

The report resulted from a federal investigation Released in July 2023 Examining living conditions, access to medical and mental health care, use of excessive force by staff, and conditions that could lead to violence among people held in jails in the county, which includes most of Atlanta.

REACTION

Senator’s statement: Ossoff pressed for action

1. In response to the Justice Department report, Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., released the following statement:
2. “Today’s Department of Justice report confirms that abuse in the Fulton County Jail is not only horrific, it is unconstitutional. “Every day that these conditions continue means that Georgians’ human and constitutional rights are not defended.”
3. Earlier this year, Ossoff, along with Sen. Raphael Warnock and Rep. Nikema Williams, called on the department to prioritize the investigation into the Fulton County Jail.

Federal officials cited 35-year-old’s death in September 2022 Lashawn Thompson In a bedbug-infested cell in the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail, independent autopsy In the examination carried out upon the request of his family, it was determined that he died due to gross negligence. Photos released by lawyers on behalf of Thompson’s family showed his body was covered in insects and his cell was dirty and full of garbage.

Two other people died in the same mental health unit in the weeks following Thompson’s death. The report states that both of them were killed by their cellmates and were found with their feet tied.

The investigation involved the main prison in Atlanta and three additional facilities: the Marietta Annex in Atlanta, the North Annex in Alpharetta, and the South Annex in Union City.

Fulton County now has 49 days to respond to the department’s findings and demonstrate efforts to address the conditions; Otherwise, the US Department of Justice may file a lawsuit.

But coming Donald Trump White House administrationTrump, who would include a new attorney general, may decide not to pursue the matter.

The prison currently houses approximately 2,000 people, and in recent years this number has exceeded 3,000.

“We cannot ignore the inhumane, violent and dangerous conditions that people are subjected to at the Fulton County Jail,” said Clarke. “Incarceration in the Fulton County Jail has become a death sentence for dozens of people who have been killed or died as a result of the horrific conditions inside the facility.”

The report states that “legged” attacks and stabbings are “a feature of life” in prison, with 1,054 assaults and 314 stabbings occurring in 2023. not reported or properly documented.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat, who took office in 2021 and was re-elected last week, has consistently voiced concerns about overcrowding, dilapidated infrastructure and staffing shortages in the county’s jails. He forced county leaders to build a new jail. I didn’t want to do it until now.

Labat and County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said in a joint statement that the county is still reviewing the report and that the jail and the county are working closely with the Department of Justice throughout the investigation.

“Everyone in Fulton County shares the goal of ensuring our jail is safe and humane, and we agree with the Department of Justice that the problems identified are solvable,” the two said in a joint statement. “We believe our planned repairs and other programs will address needed jail improvements, and we are committed to continuing to work with the Department of Justice and the community to resolve the issues identified.”

Although county leaders and the sheriff’s office are aware of the violence and have spoken publicly against it, “they have failed to take adequate action to address the crisis, and murders, stabbings, and other acts of violence continue at dangerous levels.” report.

The report states that people detained in Fulton County receive inadequate medical and mental health care that violates their constitutional rights, leaving them at risk of injury, serious illness, pain and suffering, mental health impairment and death.

People with serious mental illness are routinely held in restrictive housing that puts them at risk of serious harm, including self-harm, physical decline and acute mental illness, the report says.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.