Conditions so bad at Fulton County Jail, they violate civil rights: DOJ

[Lauren Taylor]

CONDITIONS IN GEORGIA’S FULTON COUNTY JAIL ARE SO BAD – THEY’RE VIOLATING INMATES’ CIVIL RIGHTS, THE U-S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS.

A D-O-J INVESTIGATION FOUND THE JAIL’S HOUSING UNITS WERE FLOODED BY BROKEN TOILETS, INFESTED WITH ROACHES AND RODENTS AND HAD DANGEROUS EXPOSED WIRING.

THEY ALSO SAID INMATES WERE MALNOURISHED FROM A LACK OF FOOD, DIDN’T HAVE ACCESS TO MEDICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH CARE, AND STAFF OFTEN USED FORCE, LIKE TASERS, WITHOUT JUSTIFICATION.

THE D-O-J ALSO SAYS THE JAIL DOESN’T PROTECT INMATES FROM OTHER INMATES LIKE IT SHOULD.

KRISTEN CLARKE | US ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

“In 2023 alone, we identified 314 stabbings and more than 8000 assaults. This rate of violence exceeds what we’ve seen in other cities across the country. The Fulton County Jail had as many stabbings in a single month as the Miami Dade County Jail had all year. And that’s a facility with one and a half times more people. Since 2022, six people in the jail have lost their lives to violence.”

D-O-J OFFICIALS SAY CONDITIONS IN THE JAIL VIOLATE THE 8-TH AND 14-TH AMENDMENTS – AS WELL AS THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AND THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT.

THE REPORT SAYS THE U-S ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE COULD FILE A LAWSUIT TO CORRECT THE ISSUES IF STATE OFFICIALS DON’T ADDRESS THE CONCERNS WITHIN 49 DAYS.

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