The jail in Georgia’s largest county, Fulton County, leaves its inmates weak to “substantial danger of great hurt from violence” and violates their constitutional and statutory rights, based on a brand new Justice Division report launched Thursday.
After a greater than year-long civil rights probe into the Fulton County Jail – which has lengthy been stricken by overcrowding, understaffing and violence — federal investigators concluded detainees are subjected to “harmful and unsanitary” circumstances, like pest infestations and malnourishment. These circumstances particularly endanger these with psychological well being circumstances, the report discovered.
“None of those issues are new,” the report mentioned. “And regardless of widespread consciousness of those points, the unconstitutional and unlawful circumstances have continued.”
The Justice Division launched its civil investigation into Fulton County’s jail in July 2023, after a minimum of 4 Black inmates died within the psychological well being unit in a matter of weeks, together with two who have been killed by their cellmates. “Inside weeks of opening our investigation, six extra Black males had died within the Jail,” the Justice Division revealed. The household of 1 inmate, Lashawn Johnson, mentioned he died in within the jail in 2022, after he was “eaten alive” by bugs and bedbugs. About 91% of the jail’s complete inhabitants is Black, based on the report, in comparison with 45% of the general Fulton County inhabitants.
Justice Division investigators performed a number of website visits, professional consultations and interviews with inmates and employees.
Crumbling infrastructure, failing safety, abusive employees and inadequate medical and psychological well being therapy contributed to the general unconstitutional circumstances described within the report.
In response to the county sheriff, 62% of the jail’s inmates undergo from psychological well being or substance use issues and the employees failed to supply correct therapy or take steps to mitigate dangers of suicide.
“We discovered that 75% of those that died within the Jail since January 2021 had a present psychological well being analysis or reported a historical past of psychological sickness,” the report mentioned.
Justice Division investigators famous of their findings that Fulton County and the sheriff sought to treatment a number of the points, together with by surging tens of millions in emergency funding and sending some inmates to detention services in different districts.
Nonetheless, the issues continued. In 2024, three males in Fulton County’s predominant jail have died, together with one one who was stabbed 20 instances in April. From 2022 to the current, based on the report, “six incarcerated individuals have died in violent assaults.” All six victims have been Black males, the Justice Division mentioned.
Non-lethal violent assaults are additionally rampant contained in the jail. In 2023, the Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned there have been 1,054 assaults and greater than 300 stabbings within the jail. The investigation additionally uncovered a sample or follow of sexual abuse, based on the report.
Asserting the report’s findings, Assistant Legal professional Basic Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division mentioned officers in Fulton County have taken “preliminary steps” to handle the problems outlined within the report, however such measures are “not sufficient.”
The Justice Division’s report outlines numerous remedial measures the jail should perform to enhance the circumstances, like elevated accountability measures for employees, overhauling how the jail secures its services from violence and contraband, and guaranteeing correct suicide prevention measures.
“On the finish of the day, individuals don’t abandon their civil and constitutional rights on the jailhouse door,” Clarke mentioned. “We will repair these issues,” she added later.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Workplace, which runs the jail, didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. Justice Division officers on Thursday famous the sheriff had cooperated with the probe.
