Georgia Senate leaders on Thursday authorized an investigation into the dangerous conditions at the Fulton County Jail. But a question hung in the air after senators made their announcement at a news conference: What about other corrections facilities in Georgia?
There’s no denying the disaster at the troubled jail in Midtown Atlanta. Ten inmates have died in Fulton County custody this year, and even Sheriff Pat Labat has labeled it a “humanitarian crisis.”
But there are more than 180 other jails scattered across Georgia, and some of those are plagued by problems, too.
The Chatham County Jail in Savannah has recorded four inmate deaths this year and 17 since 2016. The situation was highlighted in a 2019 Reuters investigative report and has drawn the attention of Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. The Democrat cited a Chatham death in a Homeland Security and Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (“PSI”) hearing in 2022.
And in Augusta on Wednesday, officials led a media tour of the Webster Detention Center to highlight rampant overcrowding, understaffing and perilous conditions there.
“We’re averaging four years an inmate. We have one inmate who’s been here six years,” Sheriff Richard Roundtree told The Augusta Chronicle of the pretrial detention center. WJBF also reported that one section of the jail has no working locks.
State prisons face festering problems as well. A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found that hundreds of prison employees have been arrested since 2018 on charges of smuggling drugs, cellphones and other contraband to those incarcerated.
And just this week, authorities say a state correctional officer was killed after being attacked by a prisoner at Smith State Prison in Glennville, a troubled facility with a history of violence and corruption.
State Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, said lawmakers recently added funding to tackle contraband trafficking. And we’re told that senior Republican lawmakers have discussed introducing a resolution in the 2024 legislative session ordering a broader inquiry into the state’s network of jails and prisons.
But, for now, Senate leaders say their scrutiny will focus on the Fulton County Jail.
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Credit: New York Times
Credit: New York Times
BIDEN BORDER WALL. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced planned additions to the U.S.-Mexico border wall championed by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Biden waived 26 federal laws in directing the construction of 20 miles of border wall. Federal funds are already earmarked for the project, and Biden told reporters he had no flexibility in redirecting the money.
But Biden also said Thursday that he doesn’t believe border walls work. He made a 2020 campaign promise not to build “another foot” of border wall if elected president.
Biden faces intensifying political pressure about the surge of undocumented immigrants, both from Republicans in Congress and Democratic leaders of cities and states, such as New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Illinois Gov. B.J. Pritzker.
Republicans in Georgia’s congressional delegation pointed out the flip-flop and said it created another example of Biden’s failures in office.
“After years of IGNORING and DENYING the crisis at our southern border, Biden has finally been forced to restart construction on the border wall,” wrote Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler. “If only we’d never stopped building it, lives would have been spared from the fentanyl crisis.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens, accused Biden of pivoting solely for political reasons: “What changed (other than your poll numbers), Joe?”
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IF YOU INSIST. The U.S. House is currently without a speaker, but Republican members will move Tuesday to find a successor to recently ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California.
One guest at the speaker candidate forum will be former President Donald Trump. He told Fox News Digital Thursday he thinks he’ll be a “unifier” for the feuding caucus.
Yet Trump has named his favorite — he endorsed Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio for the speaker’s role in an early Friday morning social media post. Jordan chairs the House Judiciary Committee and is an ardent Trump defender.
Should House members reject Jordan and fail to coalesce around another House member as speaker, Trump told Fox News Digital he’d be willing to take on the role on a temporary basis. Earlier this week, Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome, lobbied for Trump to lead the chamber.
“They have asked me if I would take it for a short period of time for the party, until they come to a conclusion — I’m not doing it because I want to — I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision,” Trump said.
Trump did not specify who had asked him, but we have a guess.
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SECTION 2. A federal court on Thursday ordered the state of Alabama to use a newly drawn congressional map for its next elections. The judge cited Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits denying or limiting access to voting based on race.
The new map has two districts with majority or near-majority Black populations, the New York Times reports. Its previous map had just one.
The decision was carefully watched by Georgia officials, since a challenge to Georgia’s congressional maps is pending. The Georgia case also relies on a Section 2 argument alleging Republicans redistricted the state’s maps in 2021 in a way that denies minority representation.
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Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
Credit: Bob Andres/AJC
FIGHT ON. Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon railed against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies in a recent radio interview.
Speaking to WDUN’s Martha Zoller, McKoon accused Willis of attempting to “criminalize political dissent.” He said the state party would continue to assist in the legal defense of members charged in relation to the 2020 election’s aftermath.
As the AJC’s James Salzer reported Wednesday, the Georgia GOP has spent more than $1 million on legal fees since last year. Most of those dollars went toward defending the Republican electors who cast ballots falsely declaring Trump the winner of Georgia’s election.
“We need to get our people who lawfully contest an election out of harm’s way,” McKoon said.
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Credit: File photos
Credit: File photos
KEEP UP. The Fulton County election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others continued its grind through the judicial system this week.
Our AJC colleagues filed these stories:
You can stay on top of the case via the “Trump Georgia Indictment” section on AJC.com and by signing up for the “The Trump 19” weekly newsletter.
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Credit: Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority
Credit: Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority
PORT EXPANSION. The Port of Savannah has become the nation’s third busiest maritime shipping center over the last two decades. Now, the state-run entity takes aim at the No. 2 spot.
The Jolt’s Adam Van Brimmer reports the Georgia Ports Authority has submitted a permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a third terminal in Savannah. The facility, to open in 2030, is to be located on Hutchinson Island, across the Savannah River shipping channel from downtown Savannah.
The terminal will boost the port’s capacity to 12.5 million containers annually. Currently, the Port of New York/New Jersey handles 9.5 million boxes a year.
The twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, known as the San Pedro Bay Port Complex, is the nation’s largest at more than 20 million containers a year.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the White House on the September jobs report and highlights his record on manufacturing growth. He also meets with Germany President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
- The House is adjourned for the week. Members return Tuesday to vet speaker candidates.
- A U.S. Senate recess continues through Oct. 16.
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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
SCOURGE. Georgia first lady Marty Kemp’s work to combat human trafficking was highlighted at the United to Safeguard America from Illegal Trade summit held in Salt Lake City.
In videotaped remarks, the first lady touted eight separate measures to fight human trafficking that have passed since Gov. Brian Kemp took office in 2019. She told the crowd a new human trafficking prosecution unit has rescued 116 victims in 2022 — and has a 100% conviction rate.
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HISTORY IN OCILLA. The South Georgia town of Ocilla, population 3,720, has elected its first Black mayor.
Melvin Harper II won a three-way race, reports WALB. He succeeds the late Horace Hudgins, who died in July.
Ocilla is located in Irwin County, northeast of Tifton, and is known for the sweet potatoes grown in the surrounding countryside — and for being the home of Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. It’s Friday, people. So let gentle giant Chase Hawkins be your spirit animal.
The five-year-old rescue, who is one quarter St. Bernard, got his name playing and chasing the Hawkins children on the day he got to his new home. A reliable source calls him “the best family dog, a great watch dog, a big marshmallow.”
Big Marshmallow, you’re our Dog of the Day.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
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