FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — County officials responded to a damning Department of Justice report that revealed disturbing revelations following a years-long investigation into the conditions of the Fulton Jail.
In the roughly 10-minute news conference, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat and Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts expressed optimism about adjustments made concerning jail conditions despite the report, which alleged the sheriff's office doesn't adequately protect jail inmates from violence by other detainees, including stabbings, sexual abuse and killings, federal officials contend in a lengthy report that details alleged abuses.
"We are certainly in a space right now that we are happy where it has come out ... I do want to put out that if you look at (the report) in its depth, it is a point-in-time study if you will. A lot of the things, we have worked with the board the past few months to accomplish," Labat said.
Labat, who took office in 2021 and was reelected last week, has consistently raised concerns about overcrowding, dilapidated infrastructure and staffing shortages at county lockups. He has pushed county leaders to build a new jail, which they have so far been unwilling to do. When the federal investigation was launched, he said he welcomed it and was prepared to cooperate fully.
"We've come a long ways in really a short period of time, and we have a few steps yet to go. But I'm encouraged about where we are. I was eagerly, and we as a board, waiting the report from the Department of Justice, which we received. I have not had a chance to read it in its entirety yet but will do so," Pitts explained. "But we've made a lot of changes and adjustments so far, although I will admit we have things which we need to accomplish going forward working with the sheriff, So I think today is a time of us looking forward and not backwards. How do we accomplish some of the things that were pointed out in the study?"
You can watch the full news conference below >>
In the aforementioned report, the DOJ said vulnerable populations, including people who are gay, transgender, young or have with serious mental illness, are particularly at risk from the violence, which causes physical injury and long-lasting trauma.
"We are addressing that. I've said quite loudly that we will not be able to just simply throw staffing at this. We're going to have to embrace technology, and we are working with our IT department to do just that," Labat said of those exact issues. "There are classification systems that are a little more robust, and we are presenting those as we get ready to move toward the new budget cycle as well."
Pitts said he shares concerns about what was outlined, adding he and Labat would be working together with the DOJ to make adjustments, and that a plan to address issues in nine of 11 housing units should be completed by the end of 2024. He also said the board has approved about $300 million to fully address needs at the Fulton County Jail.
"I'm excited about where we are and believe that we are headed in the right direction. I've said all along, we will have to comply with whatever the Justice Department recommends, and that's what we're in the process of doing now," Pitts said.
Labat was asked about the optimistic tone by him and Pitts during the news conference -- despite the damning report from the Department of Justice -- and whether they were already making changes before the report.
"If you look at what was said this morning (in the report), the tone and tenor was none of this is new. This is decade-old problems," Labat explained. "Some that pre-date certainly the chairman and I's relationship. But ultimately, it also said, and it was also pointed out very poignantly, these are fixable opportunities. And that's what our plan is moving forward -- is to be able to fix each one of these opportunities and move forward."
DOJ's findings on Fulton County Jail
The report resulted from a federal investigation launched in July 2023 to examine living conditions, access to medical and mental health care, use of excessive force by staff, and conditions that may give rise to violence between people held in jails in the county, which includes most of Atlanta.
Officials referred to those conditions as "long-standing, unconstitutional, unlawful and dangerous.”
The DOJ further highlighted the severity of the conditions, saying, “The most obvious casualties of the civil rights violations occurring in the jail are those who leave the jail in body bags.”
In addition, the DOJ noted the Fulton County Jail "does not adequately protect incarcerated people from violence and physical deficiencies." Officials notably pointed to the use of makeshift weapons built out of jail fixtures that are used to attack others inside. In 2023 alone, the DOJ said it identified 313 stabbings and more than 1,000 assaults inside.
Living conditions inside were described as "hazardous" and "unsanitary." Officials argued that the jail does not provide enough food for its inmates, "fails to provide constitutionally adequate mental health," and uses solitary in unconstitutional ways, on top of using lengthy confinement as a punishment without written explanation.
Investigators cited the September 2022 death of Lashawn Thompson, 35, in a bedbug-infested cell in the Fulton County Jail’s psychiatric wing, noting that an independent autopsy conducted at his family’s request found that he died of severe neglect. Photos released by attorneys for Thompson’s family showed that his body was covered in insects and that his cell was filthy and full of garbage.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the inhumane, violent and hazardous conditions that people are subjected to inside the Fulton County Jail,” Clarke said. “Detention in the Fulton County Jail has amounted to a death sentence for dozens of people who have been murdered or who have died as a result of the atrocious conditions inside the facility.”
Jail officers “have a pattern or practice of using excessive force” against people in county custody, which violates detainees' constitutional rights, the report says. They do not receive adequate training and guidance on the use of force, they use Tasers too frequently and in “an unreasonable, unsafe manner,” and staff who use excessive force are not consistently disciplined, it states.
Investigators also found that the main Fulton County Jail building is hazardous and unsanitary, citing flooding from broken toilets and sinks, infestations of cockroaches and rodents, and filthy cells with dangerous exposed wires. Investigators contend that this exposes detainees to pest infestation, malnourishment, and other harm.
People held in Fulton County custody receive inadequate medical and mental health care in violation of their constitutional rights, leaving them open to the risk of injury, serious illness, pain and suffering, mental health decline and death, the report states.
People with serious mental illness and youth offenders are routinely held in restrictive housing that exposes them to risk of serious harm, including self-injury, physical decline and acute mental illness, the report says. These practices discriminate against people with mental health disabilities in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it states.
Included in the report are 11 pages of “minimum remedial measures” that jail officials should implement. It concludes with a warning that federal authorities will likely take legal action if concerns are not sufficiently addressed. It says the attorney general may sue to correct the problems in 49 days and could also intervene in any related, existing private suits in 15 days.
Understaffing, poor training, and a lack of supervisory failures were also cited, with officials saying "detention had amounted to a death sentence… as a result of the atrocious conditions inside the facility.”