With just over two weeks until Atlanta hosts its first FIFA World Cup match, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has announced a new policy that could drastically decrease the number of people incarcerated at the city jail. On Tuesday, Labat issued an official order that people arrested for most misdemeanor offenses can no longer be […]
Fulton County Jail
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Alleged Medical Neglect at Fulton Jail Cost a Man His Legs and Fingers
Even though the charges against him have been dropped, Rashaad Muhammad’s life has been permanently altered after spending 11 days incarcerated in Fulton County’s Rice Street Jail. Muhammad had his lower legs amputated and a full or partial amputation on all 10 fingers due to what he and his lawyers described as medical neglect while […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Juvenile Justice
ACLU Report Calls Out Fulton County Jail for Overcrowding and Humanitarian Crisis
A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia found that Fulton County officials are failing to take advantage of sustainable solutions to address overcrowding and the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the county jail. The study was published on the heels of major flooding at the jail last weekend. Officials estimated 70,000 gallons […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Politics & Policy
Fulton Commissioners Signal Budget Boost to Address ‘Crisis’ at Jail and Courts
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners appears poised to approve a major budget boost to help address horrific conditions at the county’s Rice Street jail and an ongoing backlog of criminal court cases that has frustrated judicial system staffers for years. The seven-member board on Wednesday delayed its vote on the latest fiscal year budget […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
A Woman With Mental Disabilities Is on Life Support After Fulton Jail Attack
An Atlanta family is seeking answers after a brutal attack inside the Fulton County Jail left a 20-year-old woman on life support at Grady Hospital. Tyriana Ledbetter had been incarcerated in Fulton County since late May on multiple charges including armed robbery and aggravated assault. According to a statement from the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Incarceration
How The Bail Project Is Working to Get Low-Income People Out of Jail
In Fulton County, bail fund organizers are on the front lines in the fight to prevent the further expansion of pretrial detention in the face of federal and state intervention. The Bail Project, a national organization that currently works in 11 jurisdictions across the country, posts bail for 20 to 40 people in Fulton County […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Sheriff Pushes Back on Finding Tied to Care of Incarcerated Women With Mental Illness
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat is still failing to document the proper treatment of women with serious mental illnesses incarcerated in Fulton County, as is required by a 2022 settlement. The agreement was the result of a class-action lawsuit filed in 2019 by the Georgia Advocacy Office, the Southern Center for Human Rights and Caplan […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice, Incarceration
Fani Willis Calls Commissioners ‘Liars’ in Jail Funds Fight
As you walk into District Attorney Fani Willis’ office, housed on the third floor of Fulton County Courthouse, you’re greeted by a Malcolm X quote posted along the hallway. “I’m for truth no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.” But she’s faced several tests on her ability […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration, Mental Health
‘The System Is Failing My Son’: Mother of Bipolar Man Fears for Son’s Life Inside Fulton County Jail
Latreece Williams hasn’t had a good night’s sleep at her home in Perkerson Park in over a month. Not since her son Dewayne Lamar High Jr., who was diagnosed with epilepsy and bipolar schizoaffective disorder in 2011, has been locked up in Fulton County Jail. “I call watch command every day to ask for a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, News, Policing
Calls for Mayor to Act After Witnesses Say Officer Who Shot Rayshard Brooks Punched Club Worker
Garrett Rolfe, the police officer who shot and killed Rayshard Brooks in 2020, was back in the news after a bar fight last Sunday. And the release of a 911 call is now shedding new light on the incident. Witnesses at X Midtown club described a chaotic scene to police where Rolfe reportedly punched one […]