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Residents and former staff urge county action on jail conditions and care for jailed disabled residents
Summary
Multiple public commenters pressed the Clayton County Board of Commissioners to address alleged neglect and leadership failures at the county jail, including claims about untreated seizures, isolation of vulnerable inmates and systemic problems; speakers asked for investigations, alternatives to incarceration for disabled residents and leadership changes.
Public comment at the March 17 meeting of the Clayton County Board of Commissioners centered on alleged neglect and leadership failures at the county jail, with several residents and a former corrections employee urging immediate county action.
"My son has been incarcerated in Clayton County Jail since August 2025 for four alleged felony charges…he hasn't received [a reevaluation for autism]," said Tracy Wade, a Jonesboro resident, who described her 28‑year‑old son's seizures, repeated moves into isolation and what she called insufficient mental‑health care. Wade asked the board and the public defender's office how long families should expect to wait for representation and alternatives to jail for people with disabilities.
Former assistant police chief Cornell Madison told the board the jail's problems "are leadership" problems, not funding shortfalls. "Lack of doing what you need to do to correct those problems and a lack of compassion," Madison said, urging administrative change rather than more spending.
A former corrections officer, Esther Hardy, said she was fired after reporting poor inmate care and described seeing autistic inmates routinely neglected. "We need a good leader to run the jail," Hardy said, adding that she wanted her job back.
Other commenters connected jail concerns to wider criminal justice questions. Public commenter Marcus Hill criticized a perceived lack of investment in youth advocacy and alleged that assault kits were not being processed; another speaker, Thomas Pew, recommended reclaiming another detention facility to relieve overcrowding and urged more investigators in the solicitor's office to reduce case backlogs.
The board did not take immediate formal action on any of the specific requests raised during public comment. Officials later approved several administrative and personnel actions and directed staff to follow up on items on the meeting agenda. The board heard these comments during the dedicated public‑comment period and did not announce a separate investigation or policy change on the record that night.
