Sally Riddle of the Cobb Coalition for Public Safety is calling out officials at the Cobb Detention Center for what she describes as a "total lack of transparency."

Riddle said there has been a lack of appropriate medical care, attention to dietary restrictions, and a mismanagement of the coronavirus pandemic at the facility.

In one instance, Riddle said, a detainee flagged her food allergies but the concerns were ignored.

"We have one young woman who lost a significant amount of weight," she said. "Her physician apparently gave her a letter saying she had these food allergies. And the health service said, 'Well, that's not good enough for us.'"

She said the woman was later forced to resort to dire measures. "She was trying to live off of Ensure a lot of the time because they wouldn't accommodate the allergies," Riddle said. "So there were many meals where she couldn't eat."

Riddle added at least five staff members at the detention center were diagnosed with COVID-19 and that one staffer had continued to work while ill. She also said there was a lengthy delay in getting protective face masks for detainees.

"We heard unofficially that there were five staff individuals who tested positive at some point," she said. "At least one was working while they were ill."

GPB News has not been able to independently verify these claims. Requests for comment sent to the Cobb police department were not returned.

Cobb Sheriff candidate Craig Owens said that while he hasn't witnessed mistreatment first hand, he does believe Cobb has a long way to go in reforming their prison system.

"Basically, you know, we have to treat everyone all other time like they're a human being," he said. "We've got to make sure they have their basic needs and the healthcare treatment that anyone deserves."

Riddle described a situation where she said a detainee with bipolar disorder experienced a gap in receiving medication between when they were brought into the prison. 

"For folks who live with a mental disorder, the effect of having a period of time when you're off your regular medication can be devastating," she said.

For Owens, he said the conversation needs to center around bringing the detention center up to industry standards.

"It's about providing our detainees with the best health care and mental health care we can provide," he said.

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