DOJ investigation: "Grave" safety failures, unconstitutional conditions at Fulton County Jail
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Fulton County's main jail, also known as "Rice Street." Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The U.S. Department of Justice says dangerous, unsanitary and deadly conditions at the troubled Fulton County jail violate inmates' constitutional rights.
Why it matters: Fulton elected officials and Sheriff Pat Labat have quarreled for years over how to fix the overcrowded northwest Atlanta facility.
- The nearly 100-page report could be a catalyst for change short of a federal lawsuit.
Zoom in: According to investigators' findings, Fulton County officials and the sheriff, who operates the lock-up, have failed to protect the jail residents from serious harm, including homicides and sexual abuse.
- "In less than 24 hours in August 2023, at least seven people were stabbed and one was killed at the Jail," the Justice Department's report said. "The violence spanned five units and three floors."
- The report says the jail houses residents in "constitutionally inadequate" conditions and fails to provide adequate medical care, including mental health services.
Catch up quick: The justice department opened an investigation into the jail in July 2023, roughly one year after the 2022 death of LaShawn Thompson, who was found dead in his cell and covered in insect bites.
What they're saying: "Detention in the Fulton County Jail has amounted to a death sentence for dozens of people who have been murdered or who died as a result of the atrocious conditions inside the facility," assistant attorney general Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement.
- "Many people held in jails in our country have not been convicted — they are awaiting hearings, trial dates or are serving short sentences for misdemeanors. At the end of the day, people do not abandon their civil and constitutional rights at the jailhouse door."
Context: Legal advocates including the Southern Center for Human Rights and ACLU of Georgia have long called for officials to address unsafe conditions at the jail.
- Labat says a new jail, which could cost roughly $2 billion, is necessary, while county officials want $300 million in renovations to the current facility.
- Fulton commissioners want the state's help to pressure Atlanta to sell its Downtown detention center to ease overcrowding.
What's next: U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia Ryan Buchanan said the department expects Fulton officials to "work cooperatively with our office and the Department of Justice to remedy these systemic deficiencies in the jail."