DOJ report outlines dangerous and violent conditions at prison

Background: Fulton County Jail (AP Photo/Kate Brumback, File). Attachments: Lashawn Thompson and Fulton County Jail cell (Harper Law Firm).

Prisoners held in a besieged county jail Georgia They were subjected to unconstitutional, inhumane and violent conditions such as murder, stabbings, sexual abuse, pest infestations and malnutrition. investigation And report By the US Department of Justice.

Conditions of detention in prison Fulton County Jail Authorities said the attacks in the Atlanta area violated the Eighth and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The prison has 2,000 inmates housed there while they await trial and other court hearings. According to the report, 91 percent of the prison’s inmates are black and a “significant portion” of the inmate population has an “identified mental illness.”

Where is the prison Lashawn ThompsonHomeless and suffering from schizophrenia, he was found dead in his trash-filled cell in the mental health unit in September 2022, three months after he was arrested for spitting at a Georgia Tech police officer. 1He was found with his head pressed against the toilet. He was malnourished and subjected to a “tremendous presence of body lice.” The coroner concluded he was “neglected to the point of death.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press release that Thompson’s death was a symptom of an illness. Model of dangerous and inhumane conditions.

“Unconstitutional and illegal conditions at the Fulton County Jail have continued for far too long,” he said. “We are committed to working with Fulton County and the Fulton County Sheriff’s office to resolve these issues.”

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division called the treatment of prisoners inhumane and violent.

“Detention in the Fulton County Jail is a death sentence for dozens of people who have been murdered or died due to the horrific conditions inside the facility,” said Clarke. “Not only adults, but also children are subjected to conditions and treatment that violate the constitution and defy federal law.”

“Many people held in prisons in our country have not been convicted; they are awaiting hearings, trial dates, or serving short sentences for misdemeanors,” he added. “At the end of the day, people do not give up their civil and constitutional rights at the prison door. Jails and prisons across the country must protect people from the kinds of egregious abuses and unconstitutional conditions we uncover here. “We hope to see our findings report as a sound of alarm that will encourage Fulton County officials to work with the Department of Justice to implement necessary reforms to advance constitutional terms.”

The DOJ report found that six inmates have died in prison violence from 2022 to the present. There were more than 300 stabbings in 2023, involving uncontrolled smuggling and makeshift weapons. There have been four deaths by suicide in the last four years.

The Justice Department report outlined other deaths at the mental health unit in less than a year, including the death of a homeless man who was arrested for entering a building to seek shelter and warmth. He stopped taking his medications, his health deteriorated, and he was found unresponsive after a possible seizure. He died in hospice a month later.

After Thompson died, two other inmates were killed by their cellmates in the same unit. Both of their feet were tied. One of them was wrapped up in bed “like a mummy,” the Justice Department said.

The report stated that in April 2024, an inmate died after being stabbed 20 times in prison.

The Justice Department opened a civil rights investigation into prison conditions in July 2023. A few more weeks after the investigation began, six more inmates died at the prison.

A man was found unresponsive in his cell after being strangled by his cellmate. Days later, at least seven people were stabbed (one fatally) in a 24-hour period.

“Poor supervision, poor classification practices and inattention to prison maintenance are major contributors to unacceptable violence,” the report said.

The Justice Department said Fulton County Jail deputies and detention officers used force without sufficient justification, including the deployment of Tasers. The report also noted conditions in living spaces, including standing water, exposed wires, pests, and inadequate services to provide clean clothing and linens.

Bad food served in unsanitary conditions leads to pest infestation and malnutrition. The report found that inmates were not receiving proper medical and mental health care, and that lack of medication led to medical and mental health problems and injuries. Officials said the prison fails to provide appropriate medical care when medical emergencies occur.

Prisons have also been found to punish people with long-term restrictive housing without adequate due process protections.

The report stated that since Georgia is one of four states where the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system ends at the age of 16, young girls and boys are also housed there and they are also exposed to violence and excessive force and are victims of sexual abuse.

One press conferenceFulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, whose office oversees the jail, addressed the Justice Department report. He said his agency is working on improvements such as reducing overcrowding, increasing staffing and upgrading the aging facility.

He highlighted recent successes, including the establishment of a prisoner advocacy unit and revamping training. He also noted that the facility recently received healthcare accreditation from the National Correctional Healthcare Commission.

“None of this is new,” he said. “This is a ten-year event. “These are correctable opportunities, and that is our plan as we prepare to move forward.”

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