Department of Justice says rights of inmates at Fulton County Jail are being violated

The report outlines issues from use of force without justification, living conditions that don’t meet constitutional standards, inadequate medical care and more.

Vulnerable populations, including people who are gay, transgender, young or have serious mental illness, are particularly at risk from the violence, which causes physical injury and long-lasting trauma, the report says.

Earlier this year, Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock called for federal officials to expedite its investigation into the jail. At that time, at least seven people had died inside the jail since the DOJ started its investigation.

“Today’s Justice Department report confirms that abuse at the Fulton County Jail has been not just horrific, but also unconstitutional,” Sen. Ossoff wrote. “Each day these conditions persist is a failure to uphold Georgians’ human and Constitutional rights.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens also released a statement saying the report “highlights the failures” of the Fulton County Jail.

“This is an extremely bad report about the county jail, to say the least. As I’ve said before, the people of Fulton County deserve to be treated humanely at all times—including when in custody. They also deserve the right to a fair and speedy trial. This report highlights the failures to do so. Fulton County and its Sheriff must take swift, deliberate action on all of the DOJ recommendations to solve this humanitarian crisis.”

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“Our investigation finds longstanding, unconstitutional, unlawful and dangerous conditions that jeopardize the lives and well-being of the people held there,” Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said at a news conference

The DOJ began its civil rights investigation into the jail in July 2023.

Investigators cited the September 2022 death of Lashawn Thompson, 35, in a bedbug-infested cell in the Fulton County Jail’s psychiatric wing, noting that an independent autopsy conducted at his family’s request found that he died of severe neglect. Photos released by attorneys for Thompson’s family showed that his body was covered in insects and that his cell was filthy and full of garbage.

You can read the full report below.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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