|
|
| Georgia Jail Frees 80 Inmates to Ease Overcrowding |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 06/06/2002 |
|
Eighty inmates who were being held on minor charges were released from Fulton County jail on orders of a federal judge seeking to relieve overcrowding. The inmates' alleged offenses including shoplifting, evading public transit fares and being drunk in public normally carry sentences of only a few days, but some prisoners are held for weeks before seeing a judge or a lawyer. U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob said last week the 80 inmates should be released immediately. His ruling came after two days of testimony in a lawsuit brought by HIV-positive inmates. A medical expert testified that jail overcrowding speeds the spread of infectious diseases. The jail was designed to house about 1,700 inmates, but its population had reached about 2,200. County officials said they try to provide poor inmates with lawyers quickly but are often slowed by bureaucracy. Fulton County sheriff's Major Clarence Huber said Tuesday that 80 inmates have been released since Thursday. He said there were no immediate plans to release more without further court orders. One of the freed inmates, 45-year-old Tony Barlow, was released after being held in jail 11 days on charges he shoplifted two greeting cards from a supermarket. Barlow claims he paid for the cards. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think