20-year-old inmate injured at Fulton County Jail amid federal oversight

20-year-old inmate injured at Fulton County Jail

20-year-old woman remains hospitalized after being injured during an incident last week at the troubled Rice Street Jail in Fulton County, officials confirmed. The Fulton County Sheriff?s Office said only that the inmate was injured on Sept. 23. She has been treated at Grady Memorial Hospital for six nights. Several sources told FOX 5 the inmate was stabbed, but the sheriff?s office has not confirmed that detail.

ATLANTA - A 20-year-old woman is in the hospital after being injured during an incident last week at the troubled Rice Street Jail in Fulton County, officials confirmed.

Inmate injured at Rice Street Jail

What we know:

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said that the inmate was injured on Sept. 23. She has been treated at Grady Memorial Hospital for six nights. 

Several sources told FOX 5 the inmate was stabbed, but the sheriff’s office has not confirmed that detail. FOX 5 has obtained the woman’s name but is not releasing it at this time.

Preventing issues in Fulton County's jail

What they're saying:

Retired Fulton County Sheriff’s Lt. Charles Rambo, who served more than three decades with the office, said he was saddened to hear about the inmate’s condition.

"Having female family members of my own, including a daughter, my heart is heavy in this instance, regardless of if this is an inmate or not. A human life is in jeopardy," Rambo said.

Rambo believes improved management and operations inside the jail would prevent many injuries and deaths.

"It is very concerning. Again, I have to go back to what is already on federal record and has already been released to the public about the conditions of the jail. It has less to do with the building, but the management and the operations and that is specifically stated in the federal monitors report," he said.

Fulton County Jail concent decree

The backstory:

The incident comes as the Fulton County Jail is under a federal consent decree following a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into conditions at the facility.

The DOJ found severe constitutional violations, including inhumane conditions, inadequate medical care and excessive violence. The consent decree, approved by a court, requires Fulton County and the sheriff’s office to implement specific reforms to protect inmates’ rights and safety.

The investigation was partly triggered by the death of Lashawn Thompson, whose 2022 death in a bedbug-infested cell, along with nine other deaths, drew national attention.

Rambo said incidents like the one last week show the urgent need for better oversight.

"We are having dangerous conditions that are producing these type of incidents that are going on. Adequate supervision up on those floors can prevent or minimize the liabilities we are seeing, again according to what the federal monitor has reported," he said.