Inmate found unresponsive in medical unit cell
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.
Jail under scrutiny for dozens of prisoner deaths
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, 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.
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.
Activists demand accountability and reform
The death of Smith has sparked outrage among activists and advocates who have been calling for accountability and reform at the Fulton County Jail. A coalition of groups, including Black Lives Matter Atlanta, Southerners On New Ground (SONG), and Women on the Rise, held a rally outside the jail on Saturday to demand justice for Smith and other inmates who have died or suffered abuse in the facility. The protesters also called for an end to cash bail, which they say keeps poor people locked up for minor offenses while awaiting trial.
The activists said they want to see more transparency and oversight from the county officials and the sheriff’s office, which runs the jail. They also urged the public to support alternatives to incarceration, such as community-based programs and services that address the root causes of crime and violence. “We are here today to say enough is enough,” said Mary Hooks, co-director of SONG. “We are here today to say that we will not stand by and watch our people die in cages.”
