An American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia spokesman told the Cobb County Commission last night that “the Cobb County Detention Center is an unacceptable place for people to stay,” noted seven inmate deaths this year and called for creation of “a citizen’s review board to oversee the complaints and conditions as well as authorize independent financial and performance audits.” Sheriff Neil Warren, whose department oversees the center, defends the health monitoring and prisoner lockdowns that have occurred.
In a letter to the Marietta Daily Journal, the sheriff says that the center sees over 25,000 inmates per year with an average population of around 2,100 inmates. The vast majority of inmates, Warren says, are seen by a doctor, mid-level care provider or mental health personnel.
“Health care in the jail is a massive undertaking,” Warren wrote. “Within any segment of the population, you will encounter people with preexisting health conditions. Often those who come through our doors have spent the majority of their lifetime making decisions that adversely impact their physical well-being and have also avoided physician contact for years due to these decisions and lifestyle choices.”
Warren also says recent lockdowns which sharply restrict when and where prisoners can move about is not due to admitted understaffing at the jail. Both the sheriff’s department and county police have vacant positions, but Warren says the jail is safely staffed and predicts increased personnel pay incentives approved by the County Commission should help attract new hires.
