Concern over Macon’s jail conditions causes mayor to speak out on options

Macon Mayor Lester Miller addressed the need to fix unsafe and unsanitary jail conditions after a number of incarcerated people were injured or died in separate recent incidents at the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center, prompting heightened attention on the jail.

A year after Macon-Bibb County bought land to build a new jail, officials are contemplating whether to merely rehabilitate the existing one on Oglethorpe Street, Miller said in a Facebook post.

Upgrades would improve safety for inmates and staff, but several financial and legal factors are at play, Miller said.

A new jail is estimated to cost around $250 million to $400 million, Miller said on Facebook Thursday afternoon in a “long informational post,” as he put it.

Since the 2025 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax was passed, the county began working on a quote for a new or refurbished jail, Miller said.

He listed several issues the city must consider before its decision on a new or refurbished jail. These include assessing the current facility’s age, structure, inmate population and capacity, maintenance, legal standards and regulations, technology capabilities, security and safety.

Miller also emphasized that any construction needs to be sustainable long-term to help with reducing “recidivism and improving rehabilitation outcomes.” This would help keep convicted criminals from being arrested again.

While he supported better jail conditions, he said more effort should go toward alternative rehabilitation and recovery options.

“Consider community-based alternatives and how they might affect the need for additional capacity,” Miller said. “I have previously proposed a work program that would allow inmates to be released for work.”

Disturbing conditions

Rodents and trash were allegedly seen in a dimly lit hallway of jail cells at the Bibb County Jail, according to photos posted on Facebook by the Human and Civil Rights Coalition of Georgia.

The organization regularly reveals inhumane conditions by law enforcement and at detention centers across the state.

“This is so disheartening, disgusting and disturbing …” the post from Thursday said. “No matter what these people are charged with. They are still human beings, and deserved to be treated as such.”

Styrofoam food containers, plastic bags, utensils and other waste sat in the hallway of a jail block right outside of a row of cell doors, a photo shows.

A garbage bag full of at least five rodents was shown in another photo.

The Facebook post did not display the inside of any jail cell.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the jail, confirmed the picture of trash in the cell block is a real image from inside the jail, but “that is not its current condition,” Sgt. Christopher Williams, who works in the sheriff’s office’s Public Affairs Office, said in an email.

Capt. Linda Howard, who leads the Public Affairs Office, said inmates must maintain their own cell block’s cleanliness.

“The conditions that are depicted in the pictures are conditions that were intentionally created by the inmates,” Howard said. “Please keep in mind that the inmates are responsible for the upkeep of their area.”

The photo of rodents in a garbage bag “cannot be confirmed,” Williams told The Telegraph.

The sheriff’s office denied The Telegraph’s request for a tour of the jail.

The coalition did not immediately respond to The Telegraph’s request for comment on the photos.

The coalition’s Facebook post urged Bibb County residents to “stand up and voice your concerns.”

Deaths, injuries in recent years

The jail has recently seen several incidents that have caused death or injury.

Stephen Fossett, an inmate, died after being tasered by officers on May 25, 2024. Another person was burned in an incident last week.

An alleged assault in the jail prompted a lawsuit earlier this year.

Four incarcerated people have died by suicide since 2020 at the jail, including Dakota Smithers, 25; Marcelles Williams Sr., 32; James Geiger, 53, and Troyce Billingslea, 33, according to open records obtained by The Telegraph.

Miller did not mention specific incidents at the jail in his Facebook post on the county’s jail conditions, but said “several articles in the news lately” prompted him to write the 624-word post.

“While it would not be proper to comment on specific incidents, I do feel it necessary to offer a general explanation and clear up misleading information,” Miller said.

Reporter Alba Rosa contributed to this story.

This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 3:20 PM.