Judge right to challenge Fulton jail’s sorry condition

Authorities confine dozens of mentally ill women to their cells for weeks at a time. They can’t shower or clean themselves. Their cells have leaking toilets and reek of feces and vomit.

This isn’t a Third World jail or some scene from a movie.

Lawyers described South Fulton Municipal Regional Jail in Union City this way during recent court proceedings.

Attorneys representing the inmates presented photos of the foul conditions and statements from women who said their mental conditions worsened because they were not allowed to leave cells.

An appalled U.S. District Court Judge Billy Ray issued a preliminary injunction and gave the county 30 days to come up with a plan that:

■ Allows inmates to leave their cells for up to four hours a day at least five days a week.

■ Ensures an appropriate environment, including steps that help the women maintain their hygiene, live in a clean and safe environment, and be allowed out-of-cell group activities.

The Sheriff ’s Office is responsible for operating the jail, and Fulton County’s attorney acknowledged that the situation “has not placed the Sheriff ’s Office in the most favorable light.” And the county opposed the injunction.

These days, federal courts have faced a lot of criticism, much of it emanating from Washington. But Judge Ray’s decision in this matter shows how important they can be to protect the rights of vulnerable people.

As for the Sheriff ’s Office, the judge said those responsible “really ought to have a hard time sleeping at night.”