FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The U.S. Department of Justice and Fulton County Sheriff’s Office announced that they have come to an agreement for steps to correct issues at the Fulton County Jail.
In November, the USDOJ released its report on conditions inside the facility on Rice Street, highlighting multiple constitutional violations and failures to meet the needs of those being detained inside.
On Friday, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office agreed to a “court-enforceable” consent order to make sure conditions no longer violate the 8th and 14th Amendments, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
“This consent order is a roadmap to a better future for our facility, staff, and the individuals entrusted to our care. Together, these opportunities will build meaningful and long-lasting change,” Sheriff Pat Labat said in a statement.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners will hold a news conference later this afternoon.
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An investigation into civil rights violations at the Rice Street Jail began in July 2023, in the wake of inmate LaShawn Thompson’s death due to “severe neglect” and an infestation of bed bugs in his cell, as well as multiple other incidents at the facility.
Thompson died in 2022. The Georgia Senate also opened an investigation into the jail. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat also sked four of the top jail officials to resign and committed thousands of dollars to addressing issues with infestations at the jail, but trouble kept coming.
In 2023, 10 inmates died at the jail, prompting lawmakers to push the Department of Justice to work faster.
Now, the USDOJ says they’ve proposed a consent decree with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office to resolve claims of conditions in the jail violating the U.S. Constitution.
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U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said that the “proposed consent decree serves as a cooperative measure to address the grievous pattern of inhumane – and frequently violent – treatment of people in custody, along with the filthy and unsanitary living conditions they endure while awaiting formal charges or trials at the Fulton County Jail.”
Buchanan’s statement went further to add that an independent monitor would be appointed to oversee the jail and that the “systemic deficiencies revealed” in the USDOJ report in November would be remedied through the steps in the consent decree. The U.S. Attorney also said regular oversight of the progress at the jail would be performed by both the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement released by the sheriff’s office, FCSO released some of the steps they’d be taking to address the concerns of the USDOJ. Those steps include:
- housing assignment changes
- a new jail management system
- upgraded technology at the facility
- new staffing analysis to optimize deployment and to help hire and retain qualified employees
- more use of technology to monitor contraband entering the facility and investigate inmate violence and criminal acts
- an updated training program for staff
- new inmate orientation procedures and enacting the process to renovate the jail facility to handle structural integrity needs
The USDOJ released their own proposed steps, which include the following:
- Improve supervision and staffing;
- Maintain doors and locks in working order;
- Require staff to abide by constitutional standards when using force;
- Take steps to protect incarcerated people at risk of suicide and to afford incarcerated people adequate medical and mental health care;
- Develop and implement a comprehensive housekeeping plan and pest management system to keep the Jail clean, sanitary, and free of pests;
- Stop use of isolation or restrictive housing of vulnerable people who are at substantial risk of self-harm or other negative mental health outcomes, absent specific and significant protections; and
- Facilitate the provision of adequate special education services to children with disabilities in the Jail.
Channel 2 Action News has reached out for additional comment to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and is waiting for their response.
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