Justice Department opens civil rights probes into South Carolina jails beset by deaths and violence

By JAMES POLLARD
Associated Press/Report for America

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department is investigating two South Carolina jails where incarcerated people have died violently at the hands of employees or others held behind bars. Officials announced Thursday that civil rights probes will examine the conditions at detention centers in the urban hubs of Charleston and Columbia. They’re focused on the way Charleston County jail uses force and treats people with disabilities. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke says eight people have died while incarcerated there since 2022. The Richland County jail is under scrutiny for its dangerous conditions. Clarke reports that six people have died there since February 2022. She says people confined in local jails don’t abandon their civil and constitutional rights.