Washington, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is urging Attorney General Merick Garland to close the Justice Department’s civil rights investigation into Georgia state prisons.
In September 2021, the Department of Justice announced that it had opened a nationwide civil investigation into the conditions of detention of individuals incarcerated in Georgia’s state prisons.
In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the Justice Department last week, Senator Ossoff urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to close the Justice Department’s investigation. Garland confirmed to Senator Ossoff that the investigation was ongoing and would reach a conclusion.
“These management failures are, in my opinion, in [the] The Georgia state prison system is appalling. They are life-threatening and, in my opinion, have resulted in the loss of life and jeopardize the safety of the community. “That is why I want to ensure that the Department remains committed to completing this investigation and delivering results that can be published and lead to change.” Senator Ossoff said at the hearing.
Since his election to office, Senator Ossoff has been committed to protecting human rights and investigating prison conditions in Georgia.
Last year, following shocking reporting, Senator Ossoff launched an investigation into the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to investigate reports of violence and extortion at Georgia’s second largest women’s prison, Pulaski State Prison.
Last year, Senator Ossoff also passed his bipartisan prison camera reform bill to strengthen security in federal prisons and surrounding communities.
Click here to view Senator Ossoff’s line of questioning.
Below is a transcript of their exchange:
IT IS. OSSOFF: “The Department announced in September 2021 that it was conducting a civil investigation, a hands-on investigation into prison conditions in Georgia’s state prisons began approximately 18 months ago, and the deplorable conditions in Georgia’s state prisons, as in the case of federal facilities, endanger them public safety in surrounding communities and pose a major threat to public safety.
“These administrative failures in Georgia’s state prison system are, in my opinion, appalling. They are life-threatening and, in my opinion, have resulted in the loss of life and jeopardize the safety of the community. “That is why I want to ensure that the Department remains committed to completing this investigation and delivering results that can be published and lead to change.”
AG GARLAND: “So the Civil Rights Division is tasked with these types of field investigations. You are deeply committed to changing the conditions you speak of. These field-based investigations typically end with a public report to the state agency involved to the general public.
“I don’t know the exact course of the investigation. But I can assure you that the Civil Rights Division is fully behind this investigation.”
IT’S OSSOFF: “But the investigation is ongoing. It’s progressing and there will be a result? Yes?”
AG GARLAND: “Yes.”
