PETITION TO SHUT DOWN MACON-BIBB COUNTY JAIL

To: Macon-Bibb County Board of Commissioners, Georgia Department of Corrections, and all relevant oversight authorities

We, the undersigned residents, taxpayers, and concerned citizens, urgently petition for the closure of the Macon-Bibb County Jail due to longstanding and worsening conditions that jeopardize the health, safety, and human rights of everyone detained or employed within its walls.

Most recently, a detainee was severely burned after another inmate threw boiling water on him — a shocking act of violence that highlights the jail’s failure to provide basic safety, supervision, or humane treatment. This incident is just one of many.

The facility is plagued by additional serious issues, including:

Broken or inoperable restrooms that force detainees to live in filth — a clear violation of health codes and basic human dignity;
Rampant violence and inadequate staffing, creating a dangerous environment;
Unsanitary, overcrowded conditions that contribute to disease and psychological distress;
Lack of medical and mental health care for vulnerable detainees;
Systemic civil rights violations that should not be tolerated in any public institution.

The Macon-Bibb County Jail is no longer just failing — it is actively harming the people inside it. No community should accept this kind of neglect and brutality under the guise of justice.

We demand:

A thorough and independent investigation into conditions and operations at the facility;
The safe and immediate relocation of all detainees to environments that meet basic legal and health standards;
The permanent closure of the jail, and the development of a new, community-based public safety model focused on prevention, rehabilitation, and human dignity.

We will not stand by while members of our community are exposed to violence, inhumane treatment, and dangerous conditions. We call on our local and state leaders to act — now.