Latest news with #LashawnThompson
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Recent Deaths at Fulton Jail Bring 2025 Total Close to Last Year's Mark
Two men who had been incarcerated in Fulton County Jail for over a year died in custody last week for unrelated reasons. Shon Disola and Benjamin Pike are the third and fourth deaths in custody this year, just one shy of last year's total of five inmate deaths. Fulton County has long been plagued by overcrowding and understaffing in its jail, which has led to dozens of deaths and accounts of abuse in the past five years alone. Devin Franklin, movement policy coordinator for the Southern Center for Human Rights, and others who are part of the Communities over Cages coalition have long advocated for the county to focus its efforts and resources on initiatives that can keep people out of jail in the first place, like job training, affordable housing, education, and access to health care. 'I think the big thing that residents should recognize is that [elected officials] keep going to a playbook that doesn't work,' Franklin said. A particularly gruesome death in September 2022 thrust the jail's issues into the national spotlight and drew the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice. Lashawn Thompson, 35, was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge and held in the jail's psychiatric unit from June until his death in September. An independent autopsy report, paid for by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, found the cause of death to be 'complications due to severe neglect,' with untreated decompensated schizophrenia as a contributing cause. Thompson suffered from dehydration, malnutrition, and severe body insect infestation at the time of his death. As a result of the neglect, Thompson suffered cardiac arrhythmia that caused his death. Read More: What Killed Lashawn Thompson? Last fall, the DOJ released a scathing 97-page report detailing the constitutional and human rights violations that have led to in-custody deaths and abuses. Fulton County entered into a consent decree earlier this year with the Justice Department to address the many staffing, overcrowding and infrastructure issues described in the report. The deaths of both men in the past week have highlighted the fact that the changes may not be happening quickly enough for those who are currently incarcerated. Disola, who is Black, was taken to the hospital on the evening of May 17 after reportedly experiencing a medical emergency during free time. He remained at the hospital for the next week until his death on May 25. The 53-year-old was being held without bond since his February 2023 arrest by the Atlanta Police Department. A few days later, Pike, who is white, was found in his cell unresponsive during headcount on the evening of May 27. When lifesaving measures were unsuccessful, the 55-year-old was pronounced dead. Pike was arrested in February 2024 by Georgia State University Police and was being held on $2,500 bond. When Capital B Atlanta reached out to the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, officials declined to comment other than to note foul play is not suspected in either man's death. The Fulton County Medical Examiner will conduct the autopsies on both men to determine the exact cause of death. According the sheriff's office, both men whose deaths were reported earlier this year died by suicide. During his reelection bid last spring, Fulton Sheriff Patrick Labat campaigned on continuing the leadership he said guided the sheriff's office through the COVID-19 pandemic and the spate of in-custody deaths that happened in the following years. He was reelected with 54.8% of the vote in the May 2024 democratic primary, and promised to continue to fight for the county to build a new $2 billion jail. Labat has said he believes the jail's deteriorating conditions contribute to safety concerns for both inmates and the facility's staff. During a media tour of the Rice Street location last year, he highlighted how incarcerated people are able to turn deteriorating light fixtures, plumbing, and electrical wiring into weapons that they can use against one another and the deputies. Read More: Renovating Fulton County Jail Isn't Enough Plans for a new jail have been rejected by the county Board of Commissioners multiple times since it was proposed last year. The post Recent Deaths at Fulton Jail Bring 2025 Total Close to Last Year's Mark appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill could force Atlanta to house Fulton County inmates at city jail
The Brief A new proposal to force the city of Atlanta's detention center to house inmates at the Fulton County Jail has been advanced by Republican senators. Dozens of people have died in custody at the jail since 2021 and a report by the Department of Justice said the troubled facility had unconstitutional living conditions. Critics argue that the state shouldn't intervene and that the new bill could set the stage for more mismanagement. ATLANTA - Republicans on a Georgia Senate committee have proposed a solution to the overcrowding problem at the Fulton County Jail, but not everyone in metro Atlanta supports their idea. On Wednesday, the Senate Public Safety Committee advanced a bill that would force the city of Atlanta to allow the Fulton County Sheriff's Office to use the city jail for just the cost of maintaining it. The backstory Thirty-two people have died in Fulton County custody since 2021, according to the sheriff's office. That includes two deaths in the city jail, where the county already uses about 350 beds under an agreement with the city that allows them up to 700 berths. In November, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a scathing report, citing unconstitutional living conditions, usage of excessive force, and lack of mental health care. Their investigation, launched after the 2022 death of Lashawn Thompson, revealed severe neglect, including unsanitary cells, violence, and inadequate medical treatment, particularly for vulnerable groups like minors and individuals with mental illness. In January, the Justice Department and the County reached a court-enforceable agreement to address the conditions. Fulton County commissioners have long wanted to acquire Atlanta's city-owned jail, a controversial idea they say could ease overcrowding and allow the separation of detainees based on how dangerous they're considered. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has said, however, that he won't transfer the Atlanta City Detention Center to the county. RELATED STORIES Fulton County Jail inmate's sister speaks out after brother's reported extortion Fulton County Jail: Sheriff Labat says inaction 'could come back to haunt us' Protesters demand action after DOJ report exposes conditions at Fulton County Jail Georgia Senate report: 'Dysfunction' between agencies major cause of Fulton County Jail problems By the numbers Fulton County now houses fewer than 2,500 detainees, with about 1,600 at the main jail and the rest at other facilities, according to sheriff's office data. Sixteen percent of people have unindicted cases, compared to 34% in May 2023. What they're saying While Sen. John Albers, the Roswell Republican who sponsored SB 7, said he could not legislatively force the sale of the jail to the county, he said the bill requires the "jail to be leased to the county at a very reasonable rate." Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat made it clear to a Georgia Senate Subcommittee that he wants the Atlanta City Detention Center. "I have to say gaining ACDC as an asset does not solve the Fulton County problem. We have a cultural change that needs to take place," Labat said. He said that gaining the Atlanta City Detention Center could relieve pressure on the jail. "The addition of ACDC we could do a lot better," Labat said. "We could do a lot better with respect to mental health populations if we owned it. Because there are barriers to moving an entire population over there." The other side Critics say the state shouldn't intervene in such a local matter. They warned that the quest for more space ignores mismanagement and malpractice by the county, the sheriff's office and jail staff, setting the stage for the issues to continue. Criminal justice advocates say police should detain fewer people and instead divert more cases to programs with mental health and economic resources. Sen. Sonya Halpern, an Atlanta Democrat who voted against the bill, thinks there are "enough players that are willing to work together" and "figure out some way for the county to use that facility" more extensively without state interference. "I think we are making a grave error and setting a terrible precedent in allowing for any city to have their assets seized by counties," Halpern said. What's next There's still a long way to go before the bill becomes law. Albers said he would prefer that Atlanta and Fulton County come to an agreement on their own, but he hasn't seen those negotiations work out yet. If the bill passes, Labat says the current staff at the ACDC would stay employed by either the sheriff's office or the city. The Source Information for this article came from reporting by FOX 5's Lindsay Tuman, previous FOX 5 articles on the crisis at the Fulton County Jail, and the Associated Press.
