Autopsies spotlight mental health crisis at Fulton County Jail
Lashawn Thompson’s death last year made national headlines after his family released photos of his body in a bedbug-infested cell in the psychiatric wing of the Fulton County Jail. The family’s attorney, Ben Crump, later said a private autopsy confirmed Thompson died from pure neglect.
“This is one of the most deplorable in-custody deaths in the history of America,” Crump said.
Since then, Fulton County’s jail has stayed in the spotlight with the booking of former president Donald Trump in August and the U.S. Department of Justice recently launching an investigation into poor and dangerous conditions. Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has said he welcomes the investigation, citing the need for a new jail that could cost $1.6 billion or more.
But advocates continue to call for reform at the beleaguered facility, including proper care for those suffering from mental health disorders.
‘I just told her to hang in there’
Ten people have died while in custody at the Fulton County Jail so far this year. WABE obtained the completed autopsies and found that half suffered from issues like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Noni Battiste-Kosoko had just celebrated her 19th birthday in July when she was found unresponsive, face-down in bed in her cell. Her mother, Shashu Battiste, said at a press conference that she did have a history of bipolar disorder, but physically, there was nothing wrong with her.
“I just told her to hang in there,” Battiste said, standing next to her daughter’s blue urn. “You’re going to get through this process.”
Battiste-Kosoko died after spending just 53 days under Fulton County’s supervision for missing a court date related to a misdemeanor incident in Miami.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office lists her cause of death as “Olanzapine toxicity.” Her manner of death is listed as undetermined “due to unclear circumstances surrounding the ingestion of the medication.” The antipsychotic medication was allegedly administered daily by staff.
Fulton officials: One-third of inmates have mental health issues
In February, Curtis Pulitzer, an architect and criminal justice planner, participated in a four-hour presentation to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners on the resources a new jail would need to meet the demands of a growing inmate population.
“Why are we housing the mentally ill in our jails?” Pulitzer said.
County officials have noted it’s likely a third of individuals at the Fulton County Jail have a mental health issue. Pulitzer said that if built, 30% of the replacement jail would be dedicated to healthcare and mental health housing.
“The needs are substantial,” he said. “These are for individuals that have serious mental illness, that have substance abuse disorder, and many have co-occurring disorders.”
Georgia does have five psychiatric hospitals, including Georgia Regional Hospital-Atlanta, but they have their own issues like a shortage of beds and staffing deficits, according to Pulitzer.
“And because of the nature that these people have committed crimes — now maybe the crimes are due to their mental illness and often they are — those types of facilities are not designed to accommodate a population that have been charged with crimes and to keep them in that type of environment,” Pulitzer said. “From a treatment perspective, yes, but from a management perspective, no.”
Advocates for prison reform rally at governor’s mansion
A total of six autopsies have been completed. One cause of death — Battiste-Kosoko — is listed as undetermined.
Five are listed as natural deaths either from seizure disorders or hypertensive cardiovascular disease. They include Cornell Harrell, Yavin Jackson, Jeffrey Jackson, Montay Stinson and Alexander Hawkins. The autopsies also show half of those who died had a medical history of schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and/or dementia.
Four autopsies are still pending, including for Christopher Smith, Samuel Lawrence, Dayvion Blake and Shawndre Delmore.
At a recent rally in front of the governor’s mansion, advocates like Lavonia McBride with the Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia called for prison reform at county jails, immigration detention centers and juvenile justice facilities.
“Our children are being sentenced to small prison terms but coming back dead,” McBride said. “They weren’t sentenced to death in our county, in the courthouse, but they’re coming back dead. It’s too many of us now, and we need answers.”
NaphCare, the private-for-profit company that provides medical and mental healthcare for people at the Fulton County Jail, has been sued in federal court hundreds of times for medical neglect. The company declines to comment on the litigation, and Fulton County has renewed its contract.
In the meantime, state lawmakers recently launched their own investigation into the Fulton County Jail, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s examination of Georgia’s prison system that was launched in 2021 remains ongoing.
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