Stanlecia Johnson is still dealing with the fallout of a brief stint in jail nearly six months ago, an ordeal that threw her life into disarray. The grandmother of four was brought to Fulton County Jail after being arrested for aggravated assault in May. Unable to post bail, she was held in jail for two […]
Madeline Thigpen
Madeline Thigpen is Capital B Atlanta's criminal justice reporter.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Fani Willis Challenges Subpoena Over Trump Prosecution Misconduct Claims
A Fulton County judge is deciding whether District Attorney Fani Willis has to comply with a subpoena issued by a Georgia Senate subcommittee investigating her alleged misconduct during her prosecution of former President Donald Trump. The subpoena, issued in August, called on Willis to turn over dozens of documents related to the prosecution and to […]
Posted inIncarceration
‘This Is Not Normal’: Protesters Decry ‘Atrocious Conditions’ at Fulton County Jail
Protesters gathered outside Fulton County Jail and Fulton County Courthouse on Thursday demanding change and accountability in response to a 97-page report released by the U.S. Department of Justice last week that exposed inhumane conditions at the facility. “I want them to know and to hear that this is not normal. Not all jails operate […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Jimmy Atchison’s Family Hopes Justice Is Served Five Years After His Death
A preliminary hearing began Tuesday in the case against retired Atlanta police officer Sung Kim, who is charged in the 2019 shooting death of Adamsville resident Jimmy Atchison. Kim was one of multiple APD officers on an FBI fugitive task force that was pursuing Atchison for allegedly stealing a woman’s purse and cellphone at gunpoint. […]
Posted inClimate, Criminal Justice, Education, LGBTQ, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
The Dawn of a New Trump Era Begins. What It Means for Black Atlantans in 2025.
The dread many Black people in Atlanta feel about Donald Trump’s triumph in the 2024 presidential election isn’t misplaced: He organized his reelection campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris around revenge — around how he and his allies can inflict the greatest amount of suffering on vulnerable groups and on those he considers enemies. Making […]
Posted inElections, Politics & Policy, Voting
Fani Willis Reelected as Fulton County District Attorney
One year after Fani Willis catapulted herself into national headlines by filing criminal charges against former President Donald Trump, Fulton County voters have reelected her as their district attorney. Willis became the first woman to serve as Fulton County district attorney when she was elected to her first term in 2020, unseating longtime incumbent Paul […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Who Are Black Men in Atlanta Voting For?
All eyes are on Georgia today, as months of campaigning come to a close in the 2024 presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are each vying for the Oval Office, focusing on Black men in the Peach State as a powerful voter demographic that could tip the scales in a […]
Posted inPolitics & Policy, Public Safety, Voting
Some Black Georgians Fear What Could Happen After the Polls Close
Ace Bennett-Fludd has bad memories of what happened last time Donald Trump lost an election, and fears a similar aftermath in Georgia if the latest White House race doesn’t go the former president’s way. “I would not want to hear another story about riots happening and people being hurt,” Bennett-Fludd, a married resident of Hapeville, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics & Policy
How Formerly Incarcerated Georgians Are Reclaiming Their Voting Power
Denise Ruben is getting ready to vote in a presidential election for the first time in 16 years. Back then, in 2008, a young Illinois senator named Barack Obama was preparing to make history as America’s first Black president. This year, Kamala Harris — the first Black woman to serve as vice president — hopes to follow […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Mental Health
New Atlanta Diversion Center Offers a Different Vision of Public Safety
Atlanta and Fulton County officials on Monday took a major step toward reducing local arrests with the launch of a facility intended to serve people experiencing behavioral and mental health issues. The Center for Diversion and Services is a rehabilitative hub open around the clock, seven days a week, where law-enforcement officers and community response […]