ATLANTA, GA. (Atlanta News First) — The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Thursday that conditions at the notorious Fulton County Jail violate the 8th and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

“We cannot ignore the inhumane, violent and dangerous conditions people are subjected to at the Fulton County jail,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke.

The DOJ report stems from an investigation into Fulton County and the jail funded and operated by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation involved the main prison in Atlanta and three additional facilities: the Marietta Annex in Atlanta, the North Annex in Alpharetta, and the South Annex in Union City.

“We found that the Fulton County Jail does not adequately protect incarcerated individuals from violence such as stabbings, sexual abuse and even murder,” said Clarke.

The 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects citizens from excessive bail, fines, and cruel and unusual punishment, while the 14th Amendment prohibits states from denying them the equal protection of the laws.

“Residences are flooded due to broken toilets, cockroaches, rodents and pests. Stagnant water, exposed wiring and vermin make living spaces unsafe. Clarke said the prison did not provide enough food, leading to people being severely malnourished.

“Bacteria and disease-carrying pests are not only prevalent in food preparation areas, they are also infesting the bodies of people in prison like Lashawn Thompson,” said Ryan Buchanan, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

Fulton County now has 49 days to respond to the department’s findings and demonstrate efforts to address the conditions; Otherwise, the US Department of Justice may file a lawsuit. But coming Donald Trump White House administrationTrump, who would include a new attorney general, may decide not to pursue the matter.

“In 2023 alone, we detected 314 stabbings and over a thousand attacks. This rate of violence exceeds what we see in other cities across the country. The Fulton County jail had the same number of stabbings in one month that the Miami-Dade County jail had in the entire year, and this is a facility with one and a half times as many people,” said Clarke.

>> WATCH LIVE: Fulton County leaders address Justice Department findings that jail conditions violate inmates’ constitutional rights.

>> READ THE FULL REPORT:

Sheriff Pat Labat and County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said in a joint statement that the county is still reviewing the Department of Justice report and that the jail and the county are working closely with the Department of Justice throughout the investigation.

“Everyone in Fulton County shares the goal of ensuring our jail is safe and humane, and we agree with the Department of Justice that the problems identified are solvable,” the two said in a joint statement. “We believe our planned repairs and other programs will address needed improvements at the prison, and we are committed to continuing to work with the Department of Justice and the community to resolve the issues identified.”

The prison currently houses approximately 2,000 people, and in recent years this number has exceeded 3,000.

Death was specifically mentioned in the report lawshawn thompsonHe died while being held in prison in 2022. 35-year-old Thompson found dead in prison cell after spending three months in jail on a misdemeanor battery charge. He was being held in the prison’s psychiatric wing due to mental health problems.

“Lashawn Thompson’s horrific death was symptomatic of a pattern of dangerous and inhumane conditions at the Fulton County Jail,” said U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland. “The Department of Justice report concluded that Fulton County and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office permitted unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the jail.

“As a result, individuals incarcerated in the Fulton County Jail suffered from pest infestations and malnutrition, and were at risk of serious harm from violence perpetrated by other incarcerated individuals, including murders, stabbings, and sexual abuse,” Garland said. “Unconstitutional and illegal conditions at the Fulton County Jail have persisted for far too long, and we are committed to working with Fulton County and the Fulton County Sheriff’s office to correct them.”

“Today’s Department of Justice report confirms that abuse at the Fulton County Jail is not only horrific, it is unconstitutional,” said U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, who along with U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock and U.S. Representative Nikema Williams had previously called on the Justice Department. this year will strengthen its policies that track data on federal, state and local deaths in custody. “Every day these conditions continue means Georgians’ human and constitutional rights are not defended.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the people of Fulton County “deserve to be treated humanely at all times, including while in custody.”

“They too deserve the right to a fair and speedy trial. This report highlights failures to do this. Fulton County and its sheriff need to take swift and deliberate action, in line with all Department of Justice recommendations, to address this humanitarian crisis,” Dickens said.

Atlanta News First spoke with Dayvion Blake’s family. 23 year old prisoner Stabbed to death with a makeshift weapon in 2023It was made from a piece of the collapsed walls of the prison.

Her stepmother, Latoya Wright, reacted to the Department of Justice’s report on the Fulton County Jail.

“Nobody has any faith in the prison system anymore,” he said. “It has been shown time and time again that loved ones come in and don’t come out.”

Wright said his stepson had been violently attacked three separate times in prison before the fatal stabbing.

“He had been stabbed several times before the fatal situation,” he said. “I don’t think the prison guards did what they had to do to separate him from whoever he was.”

Atlanta News First also spoke with Lashawn Thompson’s family and Buckhead-based attorneys on Thursday, hours after the report was released.

“The DOJ has completed its investigation and found what we knew all along,” said the family’s attorney, Michael Harper. “This is a terrible place for prisoners.”

“We can never get our brother back, but we’re trying to move on and keep his legacy alive,” Thompson’s brother, Brad McRae, said. “Not just for our brother, but for other families to get answers and try to see what’s going on in this prison.”

Both Ossoff and Warnock are Georgia’s Democratic senators, while Williams represents Georgia’s 5th congressional district, where the Fulton prison is located.

In September 2023, Ossoff also asked Garland to open a civil rights investigation at the Clayton County Jail.

in 2023 Atlanta News Investigates First launched a multi-part, award-winning series titled.Georgia’s GitmoHe investigated conditions in prison. The investigation included interviews with Fulton County’s top political and legal officials who oversee the jail: Commission Chairman Rob PittsDistrict Attorney Mortal WillisSheriff Pat Labatand Chief Judge of the Supreme Court Ural Glanville.

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