Federal officials sue Terrell County for poor jail conditions

The Associated Press - DAWSON, Ga.

Federal officials have filed a lawsuit against Terrell County Jail officials, alleging that conditions there "routinely and systematically deprive inmates of federally protected rights," according to statement released Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The department's complaint claimed that jail officials failed to ensure inmate safety, did not provide required medical and mental health care and provided unsanitary living conditions, the statement said.

The lawsuit resulted from an investigation of the jail that found a number of cases in which inmates' rights were violated, according to the statement. In one example, jailers allegedly left a mentally ill inmate unsupervised, even though he was supposed to be on suicide watch. The inmate hanged himself with a bed sheet.

Terrell County previously had reached a settlement with the Justice Department to correct the problems at the jail, but they allegedly failed to meet that agreement, the department's statement said.

Georgia Department of Corrections officials declined to comment on the case Monday, saying they had not yet seen the lawsuit.