The US Justice Department has reached a court-enforceable agreement with Georgia’s Fulton County regarding jail conditions that federal investigators have deemed inhumane, violent, and unsanitary. The proposed consent decree, along with a complaint, were filed in federal court and are pending approval by a judge, as announced by the Justice Department and the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated that detention in the Fulton County Jail had led to tragic outcomes for many individuals due to the harsh conditions inside the facility. The agreement follows a 16-month investigation that revealed unconstitutional treatment of detainees, including broken facilities, pest infestations, inadequate healthcare, and failure to protect individuals from violence.
