Georgia made national headlines last year when the state executed Willie James Pye, a man who multiple expert witnesses had deemed intellectually disabled. Pye and two other people had been convicted of the 1996 murder, kidnapping, rape, and robbery of his ex-girlfriend, Alicia Yarbrough, in Spaulding County. Anti-death penalty advocates worked diligently to get Pye […]
Incarceration
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Partner Content
Deaths at Scandal-Plagued Atlanta-Area Jail Doubled in 2024
This story was originally published by The Appeal. Twice the number of detainees at Georgia’s notorious Clayton County Jail died in 2024 compared to the previous year. The deaths of eight people detained at the Atlanta-area jail raise new questions about the scandal-plagued facility. In 2023, when four detainees died, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of […]
Posted inCourts, Incarceration
Overcrowded and Deadly: Fulton Jail Inmates Left Vulnerable as Aid Ends
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 […]
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, Incarceration, Politics & Policy
The Georgia Law That Causes Women to Serve Time for Other People’s Crimes
This story was published in partnership with The Appeal, a nonprofit newsroom covering the criminal-legal system. A law in Georgia allows prosecutors to charge people for crimes they never committed. I know this firsthand — I was charged under this law and have been incarcerated for the last 20 years. In 2004, I was with […]
Posted inIncarceration
Renovating Fulton County Jail Isn’t Enough, Sheriff Says
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat remains adamant that the county must build a new jail despite the Board of Commissioners’ vote Wednesday to approve a $300 million renovation plan, which he described as “smoke and mirrors.” Labat called a press conference Friday morning to address his disappointment with the vote and to call on the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
With Bail Funds Safe for Now, ACLU Expands Its Fight
After a federal judge temporarily blocked implementation of part of a restrictive new law that targets bail reform in Georgia, one group that challenged the measure in court now plans to attack its other provisions. The ACLU of Georgia and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law Center won a temporary victory […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Fulton Officials, Activists Debate After New Jail Funding Fails
A new coalition of criminal justice advocates is challenging Fulton County Board of Commissioners on the best way to address the humanitarian and overcrowding crises that have plagued the county jail for decades. The one thing both sides agree on is that there won’t be a brand new jail built at a cost of billions […]
Posted inHigher Education, Incarceration
We Need More Prison Education Programs. But Is the Money There?
When Kimberley Pugh was released after a 13-year term in Habersham County’s Lee Arrendale State Prison, her college classes were the only thing that felt “normal” about the outside world. “Everything around me was in complete chaos, but I had to focus on my reading, my writing, and make sure I had all my assignments […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Partner Content, Politics & Policy
Last-ditch attempt for new wrongful conviction compensation process fails
This story appeared originally in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A late-session attempt to revive an effort to standardize the compensation process for people who’ve been imprisoned on wrongful convictions in Georgia failed to make it across the finish line. Six men who’ve been exonerated of crimes the courts now say they didn’t commit will not receive […]