Federal officials sue Terrell County for poor jail conditions

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

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