In all four, current and former inmates claim they were stabbed in jailhouses by other inmates who used homemade weapons. The accusations claimed that jail employees failed to take significant action in each of the situations.
One man claimed that two years ago, he was attacked by eight to ten other prisoners, who viciously beat him and repeatedly stabbed him. According to his claim, another was stabbed in the skull and required brain surgery.
According to the claims, jail employees failed to protect the inmates or offer assistance following the attacks, demonstrating a willful and heedless disregard for their well-being.
According to the most recent complaints, which were all filed by lawyer Alan Parker, not enough is being done to distinguish dangerous inmates from those who have never used violence.
Ben Hendren is credited.
Ben Hendren is credited.
Additionally, they accuse prison officers of failing to properly check cells for handmade weapons, which the complaints claim are easily accessible throughout the institution, and of not conducting enough head counts.
One convict, who is still detained, complained that the cell door locks were broken, allowing the inmates to move about freely day and night.
Regarding the ongoing lawsuit, a representative for the sheriff’s office chose not to comment.
By permitting what it called “abhorrent, unconstitutional conditions,” the county and its sheriff had violated the civil rights of prisoners, according to a 2024 Department of Justice investigation.
The investigation began soon after Lashawn Thompson passed away in the psychiatric unit of the jail and was discovered covered in bed bugs. Two years ago, commissioners reached a settlement with Thompson’s family members, agreeing to pay $4 million.
The sheriff’s office reports that four inmates have passed away while in prison this year, with the most recent passing occurring in late May.
The fresh cases follow Pitts’ announcement of a plan to fund a mental health center for prisoners at Rice Street, which will be put to a vote on Wednesday.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
Miguel Martinez-Jimenez is credited.
According to Pitts, who estimated that between 40% and 70% of Fulton’s inmates suffer from mental health or drug misuse problems, this plan for the jail’s future gives priority to the needs of those inmates who require the greatest care.
It would take roughly five years to build the new facility.
It’s about time that something is done to lessen the ongoing overcrowding and the violence that goes along with it, according to lawyer Michael Harper, who has defended the families of Thompson and other inmates who have passed away at the jail.
However, he expressed caution that merely splurging on the problem won’t solve the jail’s inherent mismanagement.
The sheriff still attributes the lack of funding to the county commissioners. According to Harper, individuals are still dying while the commissioners continue to blame the sheriff for operating the jail in an unprofessional manner. It’s really awful.
On behalf of the inmates who were hurt at Rice Street, both past and present, the Atlanta lawyer is presently attempting to file a class-action lawsuit.
A proposal to remove a reporting requirement from millions of dollars designated to pay for jailer overtime was rejected by five commissioners in July. The disagreement over whether the sheriff’s office should be required to submit quarterly staffing data, which was a requirement for the additional funding, led to the split vote.
Sheriff Labat is to fault for preventing access to the monies, according to Commissioner Bridget Thorne, who voted against the bill along with Bob Ellis, Mo Ivory, Khadijah Abdur-Rahman, and Robb Pitts. The vote was in favor of Commissioners Marvin S. Arrington Jr. and Dana Barrett.
