ATLANTA — Editor's note: the video above is from previous coverage of the case when a family's attorney wanted the DOJ involved in the investigation into Terry Lee Thurmond's death.
One of Georgia's senators and the chair of the Congressional Human Rights Subcommittee is calling for an investigation into the Clayton County jail, citing accusations of mistreatment and the conviction of the county's top jailer.
In a Sept. 13 statement, Sen. Jon Ossoff called for Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice to investigate alleged claims of mistreatment and abuse of inmates at the county jail citing reports, including one from 11Alive, that Ossoff said highlighted "serious human rights violations and dangerous conditions inside the facility."
A story from 11Alive in January highlighted a man who died in the jail after a struggle with jailers. Video from inside a cell block showed Terry Lee Thurmond, 38, hanging over the second-floor railing last November, before five jailers hoisted him back up and pinned Thurmond down and used a Taser to subdue him. Medical examiner records show that Thurmond, who had only been in the jail one night on a criminal trespass charge, suffered cardiac arrest during his incident.
A Clayton County grand jury in July decided not to indict jailers.
Thurmond's death came only months after a jury convicted former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill in 2022 of abuse and violating the constitutional rights of inmates by forcing them into restraint chairs for hours with little provocation. Hill told the jury he did it to maintain order in the jail.
Ossoff launched an inquiry following Hill's prosecution to, "strengthen oversight of jails and prisons where brutal treatment and other human rights abuses have been reported," according to a statement the senator posted calling for the investigation. Read that full inquiry here.
Ossoff, in his letter, said the issues appear to be part of a larger, systemic problem.
“There appears to be a pattern and practice of civil rights violations in this jail that result in preventable deaths and jeopardize public trust,” Ossoff wrote. “As one detainee told a reporter earlier this year: ‘We need somebody to come in here and see about this. The Department of Justice, somebody needs to come.’ I echo this detainee’s call and ask for your assistance.”