On Wednesday, the ACLU of Georgia filed an open records request to obtain maintenance records for the Fulton County Jail amid continuing concerns about the health and well-being of people being housed at the facility.
The horror stories emanating from detainees and visitors to the Rice Street facility continue to surface following the highly publicized death of an inmate, LaShawn Thompson, who was apparently eaten alive by bed bugs.
The records request is part of ongoing efforts by the ACLU of Georgia and other organizations to improve conditions at the jail and reduce the number of people in detention.
A number of local officials have repeatedly called for an investigation into the jails conditions and several have recommended closing the facility altogether due to inhumane treatment of inmates housed there, many of who have not been convicted of any crime.
Last week, a coalition of civic groups and advocacy organizations sent a letter to Fulton County executives, Atlanta officials, Sheriff Patrick “Pat” Labat, and chief judges about the jail’s horrid conditions.
The letter reiterated the group’s opposition to Sheriff Labatt’s request for an additional $27 million dollars to keep the jail running without any accountability for addressing the systemic issues.
To date, the advocacy organizations have not received a response to the demands included in the letter.
The American Civil Liberties Union suggested officials explore reducing the jail population through alternatives such as pre-arrest diversion programs for people experiencing poverty, mental health concerns, and substance use.
“We were disappointed that Sheriff Labat has threatened litigation rather than turn these records over to the Fulton County Commission. Ten months after neglect and poor conditions killed LaShawn Thompson, the people of Fulton County deserve to know what is being done to prevent future deaths at the Fulton County Jail,” said ACLU of Georgia Deputy Director of Policy and Advocacy Fallon McClure.
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