Two Fulton Jail inmates die in past week

He had spent more than a year in custody after an arrest in early 2024 on charges including shoplifting, simple assault and obstruction of law enforcement officers, according to jail records.

Meanwhile, Disola died on May 25 in a local hospital where he was taken the week before after experiencing a medical emergency during free time at the jail, according to a sheriff’s news release.

“The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office extends its heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the news release said.

Disola was arrested in February 2023 and was being held at the jail without bond, according to the sheriff’s office. He had an arrest record dating back to 2000, for various charges, including rape, according to jail records.

Foul play is not suspected in either of the inmate deaths, according to a spokesperson with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office did not offer many details about the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

Two other inmate deaths earlier this year were ruled as suicides, according to the sheriff’s office.

Fulton County Sheriff spokeswoman Natalie Ammons said the department is making safety and mental health improvements, but adds they cannot prevent every death in the jail.

“It is important to acknowledge that predicting acts of self-harm or predicting the result of medical emergencies that result in death are not always possible, even in the most controlled environments,” Ammons said in an emailed statement.

The jail saw more than 60 deaths between 2009 and October 2022, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation — the highest total for any jail in Georgia during that time. There were 15 in-custody deaths in 2022 and 10 in-custody deaths in 2023, according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.

The DOJ investigative report released in November found that living conditions at the jail did not meet constitutional standards, that deputies and detention officers at the jail use unjustified force on inmates and the jail fails to protect inmates against violence, among other concerns.

A legal agreement reached between the DOJ and Fulton County early this year aimed to help fix many of the problems.

Pike’s death stood out to Devin Franklin, a former public defender in Fulton County who currently works at the Southern Center for Human Rights. Pike was held for more than a year with a relatively small bond set at $2,500, records show.

“When you don’t have a lot of money, a $50 bond might as well be a $1 million bond,” Franklin said.

Pike was still in jail months after a judge had redirected his case to a competency docket. In a transfer order last October, a Fulton judge noted that he was incompetent to stand trial or not criminally responsible for the alleged acts based on a doctor or psychologist’s determination.

Staffing shortages have been a persistent issue at the jail and some county commissioners have expressed concern it contributes to safety problems at the facility. The commission earlier this month approved additional funding to pay overtime for jailers in hopes of addressing the shortages.

Franklin said that adding staffing only addresses a symptom of the larger issues of poor jail conditions and detaining people for longer than necessary.

“You’re leaving another end of that unaddressed, and that end of course is how can we get people out of jail sooner,” Franklin said. “Because the reality is the overwhelming lot of these folks are not going to be sentenced to prison.”