Current:Home > Contact-usInmate dead after incarceration at Georgia jail under federal investigation-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Inmate dead after incarceration at Georgia jail under federal investigation
View Date:2024-12-23 22:30:57
A Georgia inmate who was found unresponsive in a medical unit cell at a jail currently under federal investigation died at a hospital soon after he was transferred, authorities said Saturday.
Medical personnel resuscitated Christopher Smith 34, after he was found at Fulton County Jail by a detention officer Thursday. He was later transported to Grady Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead early Friday, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Smith had been in custody since Oct. 6, 2019, and was being held without bond on several unspecified felony and misdemeanor charges, the sheriff's office said. Authorities said the county’s Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
The incident comes after county officials approved a $4 million settlement earlier this month for the family of a man who died at Fulton County Jail in September 2022.
LASHAWN THOMPSON CASE:$4 million settlement for family of man who died covered in bug bites at Georgia jail
Federal probe after 2022 death
LaShawn Thompson, 35, was housed in the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail after a June 2022 arrest on a misdemeanor battery charge in Atlanta. Local officials said Thompson had diagnosed mental health issues.
Three months later, he was found in his cell dehydrated and malnourished, and his body "was infested inside and out with insects," according to attorneys Ben Crump and Michael Harper. An independent autopsy later determined that Thompson died due to "severe neglect" from jail staff,
Attorney Ben Crump read through multiple portions of the report, which found Thompson had "innumerable" bug bites and was not receiving medication for schizophrenia at the time of his death. He also suffered from poor living conditions, poor grooming, dehydration, and rapid weight loss, according to the report released in May.
The coroner's report listed Thompson's cause of death as undetermined. The report said there were no obvious signs of trauma on Thompson's body, but his entire body was covered in bed bugs. It also noted a "severe bed bug infestation" in the cell.
Following Thompson’s death, county commissioners approved $5.3 million for inmate health tracking, cameras, and other jail upgrades in April. The incident also spurred the Department of Justice to open a civil investigation into Fulton County Jail earlier this year to determine whether there is a practice or pattern of constitutional violations against incarcerated people.
Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said the department will investigate living conditions, access to medical care and mental health care, use of excessive force by staff, and conditions that may give rise to violence between people incarcerated at the facility, as well as whether the jail discriminates against incarcerated people with psychiatric conditions.
The level of violence in the jail is "deeply concerning," she said. At one point in 2022, the jail averaged more than one stabbing per day, and a recent search by the sheriff's office uncovered more than 200 weapons inside the main facility, she said.
Incidents at Fulton County Jail
According to Clarke, there were three suspected homicides at the main jail last year, and, in one case, the victim's body was reportedly concealed for hours before being found. "Inmates are literally crafting shanks from the crumbling walls of the dilapidated facility," Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat said earlier this year.
Officials did not outline a timeline for the investigation, which is focused on the overall conditions rather than an individual case.
The department is investigating under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Clarke said. Under the ADA, jail officials must provide access to services, benefits and programs to people with disabilities that is equal to what they would provide to people without disabilities, she said.
Approximately 87% of the Fulton County Jail population is Black, Clarke said.
"This is a racial justice issue," she said.
HEAT WAVES MAKING IT 'TORTURE':Most US states don't have universal air conditioning in prisons.
Contributing: The Associated Press
veryGood! (35434)
Related
- Who will save Florida athletics? Gators need fixing, and it doesn't stop at Billy Napier
- McDonald's brings back Spicy Chicken McNuggets to menu in participating markets
- Roland Quisenberry: The Visionary Architect Leading WH Alliance into the Future
- AI FinFlare: Damon Quisenberry's Professional Journey
- Taylor Swift touches down in Kansas City as Chiefs take on Denver Broncos
- Christina Applegate's fiery response to Trump supporters and where we go from here
- Christina Applegate's fiery response to Trump supporters and where we go from here
- Ten of thousands left without power as winter storm rolls over New Mexico
- Blake Shelton Announces New Singing Competition Show After Leaving The Voice
- Michigan official at the center of 2020 election controversy loses write-in campaign
Ranking
- Shel Talmy, produced hits by The Who, The Kinks and other 1960s British bands, dead at 87
- Michigan man sentenced to 30 years in prison for role in online child exploitation ring
- $700 million? Juan Soto is 'the Mona Lisa' as MLB's top free agent, Scott Boras says
- $700 million? Juan Soto is 'the Mona Lisa' as MLB's top free agent, Scott Boras says
- Homes of Chiefs’ quarterback Mahomes and tight end Kelce were broken into last month
- When does Spotify Wrapped stop tracking for 2024? Streamer dismisses false rumor
- Halle Bailey criticizes ex DDG for showing their son on livestream
- A murder trial is closing in the killings of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana
Recommendation
-
Justice Department says jail conditions in Georgia’s Fulton County violate detainee rights
-
A gunman has repeatedly fired at cars on a busy highway near North Carolina’s capital
-
AI DataMind: Quantitative Investment Journey of Dexter Quisenberry
-
Bachelor's Kelsey Anderson Addresses Joey Graziadei Relationship Status Amid Personal Issues
-
Georgia State University is planning a $107M remake of downtown Atlanta
-
Joe Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden announces Election Day pregnancy: 'We voted'
-
Michigan official at the center of 2020 election controversy loses write-in campaign
-
Cillian Murphy takes on Catholic Church secrets in new movie 'Small Things Like These'