DOJ Launches Civil Rights Investigation into South Carolina Jails After 14 Death Reports and Allegations of Abuse

Investigation will probe two detention centers marked by unsafe conditions, inadequate medical treatment, and unchecked violence; Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center near Charleston and the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia under scrutiny amidst rising fatalities.

The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into two South Carolina jails, Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center and the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, following reports of 14 deaths, allegations of abuse, unsafe conditions, and inadequate medical treatment.
The probe will focus on allegations of deaths resulting from the use of force, medical neglect, and assaults by inmates which could have been prevented by adequate supervision. Reports of sexually assaults, overcrowding, short staffing, and unsanitary and structurally unsound facilities are also under scrutiny.
Since February 2022, there have been six deaths at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center in Columbia, with incidents including a man killed by other prisoners, two escapes, 16 reports of stabbings or violence, multiple sexual assaults, and reports that bodies of deceased inmates were not discovered for significant amounts of time.
The Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center has seen eight deaths since 2022. Cases include the death of Jamal Sutherland, who died after forceful extraction from his cell and the use of a stun gun and pepper spray, and D'Angelo Brown who died from severe dehydration after jail officials failed to provide adequate medication for his schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The investigations, which could take months or even years, often culminate in an agreement between the government and local officials to undertake a series of reforms. Officials from both Charleston and Richland counties have agreed to cooperate with the investigations.

U.S. Department of Justice