ATLANTA, GA- In 2014, Fulton County Jail held hundreds of people beyond their scheduled release date– a direct violation of their constitutional rights– after a statewide criminal database went offline. Oswald Thompson, one of those formerly incarcerated individuals, was arrested for speeding and posted bond the next day yet spent five days in jail. He, like hundreds of others, became plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit filed by Mark Begnaud and Jessica Stern of Stern Law against former Sheriff Ted Jackson and Chief Jailer Mark Adger.

December 9, 2021, we reached a $2 million settlement against Fulton County Jail for the unlawful overdetention of 313 people– many of whom lost wages or even their jobs, lost caregiving time, or suffered injury.

We hope this settlement sends a message to other jail and prison officials that they must respect the constitutional rights of incarcerated people.

Read the full story on the Daily Report.

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