ATLANTA — Several high-security Georgia prisons face threats of violence as corrections officials deal with faulty locks.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday that state prisons housing gangs and hardened criminals continue to have issues with doors that do not lock.
Three prisoner deaths have occurred at Hays State Prison in Trion. A fourth prisoner was killed after transferring to a prison in Jackson.
An internal audit last year found about 41 percent of the locks failed at Hays and Valdosta State Prison. In February, the corrections department signed a $1 million emergency contract to replace door locks at Hays.
Southern Center for Human Rights attorney, Sarah Geraghty, argues the department has allowed locks to deteriorate for years. She says faulty locks risk the lives of both officers and inmates.