ACLU deputy director for Policy and Advocacy on the conditions at Fulton County Jail

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into jail conditions in Fulton County, with officials citing violence, filthy conditions and excessive force by jail officers. (Matthew Pearson/ WABE)

Since the start of 2023, at least 10 people have died while in custody at the Fulton County Jail.

On July 13, 2023, the Justice Department launched a civil investigation into the conditions in the Fulton County Jail in Georgia.

According to several reports, since July, there have been six deaths at the facility, including the death of Alexander Hawkins.

Family members and advocates for the 66-year-old are waiting for answers regarding his death inside the Fulton County Jail. According to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Hawkins was being held on a shoplifting charge when he was found unresponsive in a medical unit cell on Aug. 17,2023.

On Monday’s edition of “Closer Look” Rose Scott talked with Fallon McClure, the deputy director for Policy & Advocacy at the ACLU of Georgia, about the crisis happening at the jail and the immediate actions that should be taken to keep inmates safe.