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Statement from Sara Totonchi on Possible Covid-19 Exposure at the Fulton County Jail

After the AJC reported yesterday that a detainee is being held in isolation at the Fulton County Jail after possible COVID-19 exposure, the Southern Center for Human Rights releases the following statement from Executive Director Sara Totonchi:

“Jails are public health powder kegs on a good day, and this highly contagious virus could wreak havoc on the people trapped inside if we do not begin to decarcerate immediately. Elderly and infirm people held in jails should be released immediately, and we must de-prioritize arrests and pretrial detention. The City of Atlanta must follow the lead of cities like New York and Los Angeles, who are releasing people from their jails in the name of public health.”

Sara Totonchi