The U.S. Justice Department has finalized a court-enforceable agreement with Georgia’s most populous county, addressing concerns over violent and unsanitary conditions in its jails that violated detainees’ constitutional rights.
A complaint and proposed consent decree have been filed in federal court and await judicial approval, the department announced Friday in a news release.
“Our topline goal with this consent decree is to bring the Fulton County Jail within compliance with the U.S. Constitution and federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan in an interview. He emphasized that compliance would lead to “increased safety for the folks who live in Fulton County or folks who are arrested and wind up in custody in the Fulton County Jail.”
The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation in July 2023, prompted by reports of violence, unhygienic conditions, and the death of a man whose body was found covered in insects. The investigation uncovered failures by jail officials to protect detainees from violence, excessive use of force, and unconstitutional living conditions.
