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Georgia: Immigrant Detainee Hangs Self After Solitary Confinement

HeadlineMay 17, 2017

In Georgia, a Panamanian immigrant has reportedly committed suicide in ICE custody after he was held 19 days in solitary confinement. Federal authorities say they found 27-year-old Jean Jimenez-Joseph unresponsive, with a sheet around his neck, early Monday morning at the Stewart Detention Center south of Columbus. Human rights advocacy group Project South told Democracy Now!, “The suicide of this young immigrant at Stewart is a horrific tragedy that could have been prevented.” Stewart can hold more than 1,700 people and is run by CoreCivic, the private prison company formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America. A year-long investigation found deplorable conditions at the facility and lack of adequate access to mental healthcare. Court records show judges there order more deportations than anywhere else in the country. Critics call Stewart the black hole of the immigration system and have called for its closure.

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