Criminal Justice Advocates Say New Law Undermines Georgia’s Efforts at Bail Reform
The law, known as SB 402, eliminates the use of signature bonds for a number of felonies, putting poor people who might not be able to afford cash bail at a disadvantage.
Victoria Law Aug 12, 2020
Prisoners Inside Georgia’s Clayton County Jail Describe Desperate Efforts To Avoid COVID-19
They shared their stories as part of a lawsuit seeking urgent changes to protect prisoners. One prisoner wrote that a jail officer denied his request for a mask, so he tied old underwear around his face.
Lauren Gill Aug 07, 2020
Georgia Budget Cuts Threaten Prisoners’ Ability To Challenge Convictions
Citing the pandemic, state legislators asked all agencies to trim their budgets. The cuts could eliminate positions for public defenders who can show a trial or sentence was unjust, overturn convictions, or reduce a person’s time.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 24, 2020
Atlanta’s Mayor Wants $13 Million More For Police. Four Officers Were Just Fired For Using Excessive Force.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has asked for the budget increase amid ongoing local and national reports of police violence against protesters.
Ko Bragg Jun 11, 2020
Advocates Push For Details On Georgia’s Response To COVID-19 In Prisons and Jails
‘Our state and local officials have a responsibility to not endanger those who are under correctional control,’ the ACLU of Georgia’s executive director said.
Lauren Gill May 08, 2020
Five Jurists Said Donnie Lance Deserved a New Sentence. Georgia Executed Him Anyway.
Three Supreme Court justices and others said competent counsel could have saved his life.
Kyle C. Barry Jan 30, 2020
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp Wants to Slash Public Defender Funding By $3 Million
Advocates warn that the cuts could push an already overburdened system to the breaking point.
Jay Willis Jan 22, 2020
Man Spared From Execution After Rare Clemency Grant
It’s the first time since 2014 that someone on Georgia’s death row has been granted clemency.
Braden Goyette Jan 16, 2020
Instagram Photos Offer Glimpse Inside Notorious Georgia Jail
The DeKalb County Jail, now at the center of protests, has a long history of problems and a legacy of housing people for unpaid fines.
Raven Rakia May 21, 2019
Atlanta Bail Reform Is Leaving Behind Homeless and Mentally Ill People
A number of people spent multiple days at the Atlanta City Detention Center for low-level offenses, including for driving while using a cell phone and for walking in the roadway.
Aaron Morrison May 16, 2019
Trans Woman Jailed and Harassed Because She Didn’t Pay A $15 Seatbelt Fine, Lawsuit Says
Sierra Castle alleges she faced discrimination and harassment after being placed in a men’s holding cell in the Cobb County, Georgia, jail.
Raven Rakia Apr 30, 2019
Deputies ‘Tortured, Then Killed’ Man At Georgia Jail On ‘Taser Tuesday,’ Attorneys Say
Antonio May, a 32 year-old father of three, died in the Fulton County Jail in September after deputies pepper-sprayed and shot him with a Taser.
Aaron Morrison Apr 25, 2019
Jailed Men Get Help While Women Languish, Georgia Lawsuit Claims
Women with mental illness are left in isolation and filth, and often placed in solitary confinement, according to a suit against the Fulton County sheriff.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 19, 2019
Party Guests Suing Over Mass Arrest for Less Than An Ounce of Marijuana
Attorneys representing the arrestees in Cartersville, Georgia, say they were mistreated in jail, lost jobs, and endured public humiliation.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Mar 11, 2019
Georgia Woman Endured Arrest, Million-Dollar Bond, and Months of Jail Over ‘Meth’ That Was Actually Cotton Candy
A notoriously unreliable roadside drug test administered by Monroe County sheriff's deputies led to Dasha Fincher being charged with methamphetamine trafficking.
Lauren Gill Nov 27, 2018
‘Worse Than Guantánamo’
Dozens of former detainees at the Gwinnett County jail in Georgia claim they were subjected to brutality at the hands of its Rapid Response Team.
Kira Lerner Oct 01, 2018
Deported Before His Case Was Closed
Immigrants are being deported while their cases are still pending, immigration attorneys say.
Zack Peterson Sep 11, 2018
Keith Tharpe’s Scheduled Execution Tests Our Tolerance for Racial Bias in Executions
There are two types of Black people, the juror said, and Tharpe wasn’t a “good” one.
Cassandra Stubbs Sep 20, 2017