Nearly 400 pre-trial detainees to be transferred from private prison in Georgia in move critics call 'a catastrophe'

TL;DR

The U.S. Marshals Service plans to transfer about 400 pre-trial detainees from a private prison in Lovejoy, Georgia, run by GEO Group.
The move is due to concerns about inadequate and unsafe conditions at the Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility.
Legal professionals in Atlanta argue the transfer, to a facility nearly 200 miles away, will disrupt criminal prosecutions and hinder access to legal counsel.
The new facility, in Ocilla, Georgia, is run by La Salle Corrections, a company that has faced lawsuits and human rights complaints.
The U.S. Marshals Service did not renew its contract with GEO Group, citing issues like staffing shortages and maintenance problems at the Deyton facility.
Chief Judge Leigh Martin May and Federal Defender Program Executive Director Natasha Silas have expressed strong opposition to the transfer, calling it a "catastrophe" and highlighting increased costs and logistical challenges.

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