Rabun County Jail Inmate Jacie Harrison Dies at 22
Jacie Louise Harrison was allegedly uncooperative and in an intoxicated condition as she was arrested on June 5, 2025, and placed in Rabun County Detention Center in Tiger, Georgia. Within hours, 22-year-old Jacie Harrison was discovered unresponsive in her cell. Detention staff administered lifesaving measures before emergency medical services (EMS) arrived and continued the efforts. Ms. Harrison was then transported to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced deceased that same day. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has launched an independent probe into Ms. Harrison’s death.
The address of Rabun County Detention Center is 175 Boen Creek Road in Tiger, Georgia 30576. The jail’s bed capacity is 102.
Jail Detainees Often Have Substance Use Disorders
The National Institute on Drug Abuse recently reported that two-thirds of the individuals who are incarcerated in county and municipal jails are experiencing a substance use disorder (SUD). A related study shows that most jails (70.1%) provide some type of treatment or recovery support for some type of substance use disorder.
Withdrawal deaths in jails are a related topic that affects countless families. For example, an Alabama jail came under scrutiny for allowing inmates to go through withdrawal in the “drunk tank” with no medical assistance. Many people in U.S. jails have the same experience of going through withdrawal in a concrete cell with no medical treatment. This is particularly true in Alabama, which is notoriously tougher than most states on drug crimes.
Many jail inmates in Walker County, Alabama, have not survived the holding cell known as the drunk tank. The following is among the tragic examples of inmates dying after allegedly being denied access to medical treatment and care for withdrawal.
- Anthony Mitchell was 33 when he was booked into Alabama’s Walker County Jail on January 12, 2023. He was placed in the infamous drunk tank to detox and died two weeks later on January 26. Mr. Mitchell was left to lie naked on the cement floor that had a drain for use as a toilet. No bed or any other furniture was in the cell. Mr. Mitchell allegedly suffered other indignities, including not having his dentures needed to chew food returned to him after they fell out. Results of an autopsy showed that hypothermia was the cause of his death.
Philadelphia’s City Jails Provide Treatment to Help Prevent Opioid Withdrawal Deaths
Jail inmates with an opioid addiction are not unique to Philadelphia, but they provide a picture of the tragic jail withdrawal problem in the U.S. Officials have estimated that about 70% of detainees who enter Philadelphia jails have a SUD, and many suffer from an opioid addiction.
Officials say that upwards of 90% of detainees are invited to participate in a suboxone treatment program for opioid use disorder, and they are medicated without delay. The medication continues until their release, when they are encouraged to continue with a previously-selected community program.
Narcan is routinely dispensed in the jails to save lives as it reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Narcan is crucial because it is effective for reversing deadly effects of fentanyl. As little as 2 mg of fentanyl can be fatal.
Unfortunately, in spite of efforts in various counties throughout the U.S., the number of tragic jail withdrawal deaths continues to rise.
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