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Yahoo
3 days ago
- 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
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Women sue over GA law that added cash bail requirements for misdemeanors
Two women behind bars in Atlanta sued the state of Georgia on Friday over a recent law that added a cash bail requirement for more crimes, many of them misdemeanors. The lawsuit accuses the state of violating people's constitutional rights to due process when they're accused of crimes that require cash bail due to last year's Senate Bill 63. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The law, which went into effect in July, requires cash bail for 30 additional crimes, 18 of which are always or often misdemeanors, including failing to appear for a traffic citation if it's not their first. Georgia requires cash bail for far more offenses than any other state and has one of the nation's highest rates of people in jail or prison. The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia and the Southern Center for Human Rights, which filed the suit on behalf of the two women and a nonprofit group, estimate that tens of thousands of Georgians have and will be subject to the law if a judge doesn't rule it unconstitutional. The law 'is keeping our jails full, separating people from their jobs, families, and homes, and all but guaranteeing that people leave worse than when they came in,' said Lachlan Athanasiou of the Southern Center for Human Rights in a statement. 'It's difficult to think of a more backwards policy.' The lawsuit argues that the law prevents judges from considering whether cash bail is actually needed to ensure that people accused of crimes appear in court or don't pose any public safety risk, which was the original purpose of bail. Republicans who supported the measure have argued that people let out of jail without bail are less likely to show up for court than those who have paid to get out of jail, although national studies contradict that claim. They also said judges could still set low bails. 'If you commit a crime, you have to be accountable for that and show back up to your hearing,' said Republican Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch after the lawsuit was filed. TRENDING STORIES: 2 people shot, 1 critically injured; Atlanta police investigating Wednesday is deadline for travelers to have their Real ID North GA man charged with capital murder after man who was shot crashes into home Since the bill was proposed, advocates warned it would hurt low-income and minority groups, who are less likely to have the means to pay cash bail. Those individuals may spend months behind bars awaiting court dates while people charged with the same offense walk free if they can afford to. 'Unwarranted pretrial detention based on a person's inability to pay cash bond is unjust to those presumed innocent, wrongly punishing poverty and harming communities and families,' the lawsuit said, adding that it can cause instability in housing, employment and family care. The two women who filed the suit are currently incarcerated inside Georgia's Fulton County Jail, which has been the target of a federal probe due to its filthy living quarters and the in-custody death of a man whose body was found covered in insects. Sierrah Coronell was arrested in February on four charges, including drug possession and obstructing a police officer, and cannot afford to pay her $600 cash bond. She missed her daughter's 15th birthday and Easter with her five kids. She was their primary caregiver, but now they're living with their father. Diane Holsey worked at Burger King and helped take care of her grandchildren. Since she was arrested in April on two charges, including battery, Holsey has missed out on making money and could lose her job. She cannot afford her $4,000 cash bond or a $400 deposit required by a bondsman. Nonprofit Women on the Rise also joined the suit. The organization provides services to women who would otherwise go to jail, but the law keeps many of them detained. The law also limited the number of cash bonds that people or organizations, such as churches or charitable funds, can post to three per year unless they meet the same requirements bail bond companies do. A judge temporarily blocked that part of the law last year after Atlanta-based nonprofit Barred Business Foundation sued, arguing it was unconstitutional. The law, signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, was a reversal on criminal justice reform in Georgia, a priority of his predecessor, Republican Gov. Nathan Deal. Legislation passed almost unanimously in 2018 let judges release most people accused of misdemeanors without bail — part of a set of reforms that Deal said would combat unnecessary incarceration, make sure kids grew up with parents in the home and save taxpayer money. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Associated Press
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Women sue over Georgia law that added cash bail requirements for misdemeanors
ATLANTA (AP) — Two women behind bars in Atlanta sued the state of Georgia on Friday over a recent law that added a cash bail requirement for more crimes, many of them misdemeanors. The lawsuit accuses the state of violating people's constitutional rights to due process when they're accused of crimes that require cash bail due to last year's Senate Bill 63. The law, which went into effect in July, requires cash bail for 30 additional crimes, 18 of which are always or often misdemeanors, including failing to appear for a traffic citation if it's not their first. Georgia requires cash bail for far more offenses than any other state and has one of the nation's highest rates of people in jail or prison. The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia and the Southern Center for Human Rights, which filed the suit on behalf of the two women and a nonprofit group, estimate that tens of thousands of Georgians have and will be subject to the law if a judge doesn't rule it unconstitutional. The law 'is keeping our jails full, separating people from their jobs, families, and homes, and all but guaranteeing that people leave worse than when they came in,' said Lachlan Athanasiou of the Southern Center for Human Rights in a statement. 'It's difficult to think of a more backwards policy.' The lawsuit argues that the law prevents judges from considering whether cash bail is actually needed to ensure that people accused of crimes appear in court or don't pose any public safety risk, which was the original purpose of bail. Republicans who supported the measure have argued that people let out of jail without bail are less likely to show up for court than those who have paid to get out of jail, although national studies contradict that claim. 'If you commit a crime, you have to be accountable for that and show back up to your hearing,' said Republican Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch, a Dahlonega Republican. Since the bill was proposed, advocates warned it would hurt low-income and minority groups, who are less likely to have the means to pay cash bail. Those individuals may spend months behind bars awaiting court dates while people charged with the same offense walk free if they can afford to. 'Unwarranted pretrial detention based on a person's inability to pay cash bond is unjust to those presumed innocent, wrongly punishing poverty and harming communities and families,' the lawsuit said, adding that it can cause instability in housing, employment and family care. The two women who filed the suit are currently incarcerated inside Georgia's Fulton County Jail, which has been the target of a federal probe due to its filthy living quarters and the in-custody death of a man whose body was found covered in insects. Sierrah Coronell was arrested in February on four charges, including drug possession and obstructing a police officer, and cannot afford to pay her $600 cash bond. She missed her daughter's 15th birthday and Easter with her five kids. She was their primary caregiver, but now they're living with their father. Diane Holsey worked at Burger King and helped take care of her grandchildren. Since she was arrested in April on two charges, including battery, Holsey has missed out on making money and could lose her job. She cannot afford her $4,000 cash bond or a $400 deposit required by a bondsman. Nonprofit Women on the Rise also joined the suit. The organization provides services to women who would otherwise go to jail, but the law keeps many of them detained. The law also limited the number of cash bonds that people or organizations, such as churches or charitable funds, can post to three per year unless they meet the same requirements bail bond companies do. A judge temporarily blocked that part of the law last year after Atlanta-based nonprofit Barred Business Foundation sued, arguing it was unconstitutional. The law, signed by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, was a reversal on criminal justice reform in Georgia, a priority of his predecessor, Republican Gov. Nathan Deal. Legislation passed almost unanimously in 2018 let judges release most people accused of misdemeanors without bail — part of a set of reforms that Deal said would combat unnecessary incarceration, make sure kids grew up with parents in the home and save taxpayer money.
