A.M. ATL: Georgia prisons grow even deadlier
Morning, y’all! Another partly cloudy day with temperatures around 90 degrees on tap.
Today’s jampacked newsletter offers updates on the state’s medical marijuana program, hefty raises for caregivers and the AJC’s new initiative to answer your most pressing preelection questions. In sports: Michael Harris II makes a splashy return to the Braves lineup and the Falcons trade for (gasp!) a pass rusher.
But first, the latest look at Georgia’s problem-plagued prisons.
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DANGEROUS DETENTION
For two years now, the AJC’s Danny Robbins and Carrie Teegardin have reported on Georgia’s corrupt, understaffed and violent prisons.
The issues, however, seem to keep getting worse.
- Our dynamic duo’s latest stories find the prison system on pace for its deadliest year ever — and examine one South Georgia facility that’s especially emblematic of the larger problem.
The gist of things: A total of 156 people died inside state prisons in the first half of the year. That includes at least 24 homicides, though the number could be higher.
Either way, the figure puts things on a path to eclipse last year’s record of 38 homicides.
- The AJC pinpointed the killings by reviewing incident reports, death certificates and other documents, as well as interviewing coroners and family members of the deceased.
But because the Department of Corrections stopped including suspected manner of death in its mortality reports, it remains unclear how most inmates died.
Worst of the worst? Even in a deeply dysfunctional and dangerous system, Valdosta State Prison stands out.
At least a dozen officers have been fired or arrested since January, including five accused of aiding inmates in a massive contraband scheme — plus Warden Ralph Shropshire, who was terminated last month.
- All told, just 43 of the facility’s 222 correctional officer positions are filled. The prison houses more than 1,100 men.
Valdosta’s four inmate homicides in the first six months of the year appear matched only by one other facility. They include the April death of 37-year-old Melvin Towns, who’d served all but 12 days of a six-month sentence for violating his probation.
“There are a lot of questions we have that haven’t been answered,” Towns’ uncle, Darrell Stone, told the AJC. “And we do reach out to people, we end up with nothing. We just know that we buried him.”
Make sure to read the full stories for a complete accounting. And circle back tomorrow for a piece explaining why all this should matter to you, an everyday Georgian.
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CASH FOR CAREGIVERS
Thousands of caregivers who help people with physical and developmental disabilities are getting a big pay bump. Currently paid an average of $10.63 an hour through Medicaid, officials announced they’ll soon make around $16.70.
- Kevin Tanner, commissioner of the state agency that oversees such workers, called the move “a gamechanger.”
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BUDDING INDUSTRY
Thanks to recent changes by state legislators, about 1,000 Georgians now get a government-issued card to buy medical marijuana every month.
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CRIME & COURTS
» The feds say an Alpharetta investment adviser operated a $300 million Ponzi scheme and used the proceeds to make lavish purchases, including a yacht.
» Police arrested a 38-year-old Atlanta man in connection with a fatal weekend shooting at the Arts Center MARTA station.
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STAY INFORMED
In recent months, Georgia voters have identified several issues important to them ahead of November’s election. Among them: crime, the economy, health, housing and immigration.
So naturally, we here at the AJC decided we’d do our darnedest to explain things.
- Click the links above to catch up on the basics surrounding each topic — then submit your questions using the handy-dandy forms included in each story. And stay tuned for future stories!
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SPEAKING OF THE ECONOMY …
Annual U.S. inflation fell to a three-year low, potentially paving the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates next month. In an interview with the AJC, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta leader Raphael Bostic said he’s not quite sold.
» More national coverage: White House touts deal to lower prices of Medicare’s costliest drugs
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SIGNIFICANT ACQUISITION ALERT
The Falcons made a much-needed trade Wednesday, sending a 2025 third-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Matthew Judon.
Judon missed most of 2023 with a torn biceps, but in the two seasons before that? He recorded 15.5 and 12.5 sacks, respectively. Check out columnist Ken Sugiura’s take.
More sports highlights:
- Braves: Outfielder Michael Harris II hit a grand slam in his first at-bat in two months, fueling a 13-2 romp over the Giants. They go for a sweep this afternoon (3:45 p.m. on Bally Sports South).
- Bulldogs: A judge dismissed reckless driving charges filed against freshman football player Sacovie White in May. On the field, coach Kirby Smart said the team still has “a lot of work to do.”
- United: Wednesday’s MLS transfer window deadline came and went without the Five Stripes doing much.
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WE GOT IT BAD
Grammy-winning R&B star Usher postponed last night’s tour stop at State Farm Arena, citing a need to “give [his] body a second to rest and heal.” He plans to reschedule.
- As of this moment, subsequent Atlanta performances on Friday and Saturday have not been nixed.
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MORE TO EXPLORE
» Uvalde families: Georgia gunmaker irresponsibly advertised its rifles
» Motorcyclist gets 17 years in crash that killed Georgia state trooper
» State website to take over ACA enrollment from healthcare.gov
» Review: Georgia colleges not fully complying with diversity statement ban
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ON THIS DATE
Aug. 15, 1945
You’ve no doubt seen photos of folks celebrating the end of World War II on the streets of New York.
But they were partying in downtown Atlanta, too! (That’s the old Paramount Theater, off Peachtree St. near Ellis St., in the background. They demolished it in 1960.)
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
AJC photographer John Spink captured one of several federal and local law enforcement officials investigating an equipment fire at a construction site off Memorial Drive. Police believe two people with ties to Atlanta Public Safety Training Center protests set the fires on purpose.
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ONE MORE THING
Gird your gullets, folks. Chick-fil-A’s bringing back a number of menu items later this month, including a banana pudding milkshake that went AWOL more than a decade ago.
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
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