United States v. Columbus Consolidated City/County Government
In October 1994, we opened an investigation of the Muscogee County Jail pursuant to the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq. The investigation focused on the areas of security, medical and mental health care, suicide prevention, and environmental health and safety. We issued a letter of findings from this investigation on June 1, 1995, outlining serious constitutional deficiencies in all areas. On September 30, 1999, a federal district court approved and entered a consent agreement to correct these conditions. In January 2015, we entered a new agreement that will wind down enforcement of the long-standing consent decree. The new agreement expands on the 1999 decree by adding crucial safeguards for prisoners with serious mental illness, including landmark restrictions on the use of solitary confinement.
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