HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — A Henry County Sheriff's Office jail employee is speaking up, giving a first-hand account of what it's like in a facility where four inmates have died in custody since January.
According to Henry County Sheriff Reginald Scandrett, they've had six in-custody deaths during the almost four years he's been in office. Two happened in 2023, with one being a suicide and the other death from a medical condition; the other four deaths all happened in the past 106 days.
"No, we don't like that, I'm challenged by that," Scandrett said. "We're consistently having meetings with respect to what could we have done differently,"
Since Jan. 5, four inmates have died in the custody of the sheriff's office.
- 1/5: Donte Battle, 24, of Scottdale, Georgia.
- In custody since 12/20/23 on Felony Murder
- Alleged Suicide
- 2/4: Cameron Moore, 47, of Atlanta.
- In custody since 8/5/23 on Aggravated Stalking
- Alleged Medical Emergency
- 3/11: Unidentified male
- Unknown time in custody on Criminal Trespass
- Alleged Medical Emergency
- 4/11: Sterling Williams, 30, of Hampton, Georgia.
- In custody since 4/5/24 on Disorderly Conduct.
- Alleged Suicide
The employee who asked not to be identified said more needs to be done to prevent deaths from occurring.
"I really wish that they would make some better choices, because it's dire, people are dying," they said, adding later, "Our main objective is the safety and security of the jail and there is no safety and security in there anymore, there is none, for not just the officers but the inmates."
One of the biggest concerns is staffing.
"Right now we're lucky to have six to eight officers show up," the employee said.
On any given day, the sheriff said they house up to 900 inmates.
"Most of what's happening is simply due to not having enough staff," the employee explained, stating they recalled a colleague who was hospitalized on April 4.
"He was attacked, there were shanks involved, he could've been seriously hurt, if not killed," the employee said.
The employees acknowledged they knew what they signed up for when joining the sheriff's office.
"We know the dangers there, but you do everything you can as a person to come home to your families, and you don't go in to be blind-sided, beaten and shanked," the employee said.
It's not only the employees' safety but also the inmates' well-being.
"It's impossible for the number of staff that is there...there's no way they can make hourly rounds when they're holding down two to seven positions; it's not physically possible," the employee explained.
The employee said they believe if the jail was staffed as it should be, some of the deaths could have been prevented -- an allegation the sheriff pushes back on.
"Even if I had an officer per inmate, if a person really wanted to take their life, I don’t give a darn who you are or what you do, they have the wherewithal to do that they will do it," Scandrett said.
Both Sheriff Scandrett and this employee agree on one thing: jail is not the place for those who are diagnosed with mental health disorders.
"It's not right; the state needs to come in; somebody needs to come help these people; they're crying out," the employee said.
Scandrett said it boils down to funding for properly taking care of those struggling with mental health disorders. He said right now, they only have one clinician who works eight hours and admits that's not enough when you have dozens of inmates who are mentally ill and need the one-on-one help.
As far as why this employee is going public now, they said it's the bigger picture of ensuring lives are taken care of.
"I love my job. I feel like these inmates and officers deserve so much more," the employee said. "I don't feel like I have a choice. I feel like there are too many lives that have been lost, and you can't get that back, and I don't want anybody else to die,"
The sheriff acknowledged the employee's concerns.
"It's a situation now that we are not comfortable with; I want to be very clear that our deepest concern is our people here," he said.
The sheriff said the staffing issue isn't new and blamed part of it on getting the money to offer competitive pay. He said they're competing with 158 counties who are dealing with similar issues. He also said they've hired 20 people in the last month.
"Something has to be done, there’s too many lives that have been lost and the next one I’m afraid is going to be one of my fellow officers, and I won’t be able to take that because I’ll feel responsible, it’s not fair, to anybody there and it’s as if none of higher up cares, no one cares," the employee explained.