Last fall, the Department of Justice released a scathing 97-page report detailing the constitutional and human rights violations that have led to in-custody deaths and abuses in the Fulton County jail. As a result, Fulton County entered into a consent decree earlier this year with the Justice Department to address the many staffing, overcrowding and […]
Fulton County Jail
Posted inIncarceration, Policing, Politics & Policy, Public Safety
Overcrowded and Understaffed: Fulton County Jail Gets Money to Hire More Deputies
Fulton County commissioners voted on Wednesday to allocate additional funding to staff Sheriff Patrick Labat’s office, following a scathing November U.S. Department of Justice report that cited understaffing as a cause of rampant, unchecked violence at Fulton County Jail. Vice Chair Bob Ellis introduced the resolution, which will support the hiring and retention of new […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local Politics
Fulton County Denies DA Fani Willis More Funding in 2025 Budget
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners opted against allocating a substantial monetary increase for the county district attorney’s office when finalizing its 2025 fiscal year budget on Wednesday, perhaps bringing a monthslong standoff with DA Fani Willis into its next phase. The board allocated $39.3 million of its nearly $1 billion budget to the DA’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Local Politics, Politics & Policy
Fani Willis Threatens to Sue Fulton County Commissioners Over Budget
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis issued a seven-page letter to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners last month threatening to sue if her office is not sufficiently funded in 2025. Through an open records request, Capital B Atlanta obtained documents Willis’ office sent to the Board of Commissioners on Dec. 11 in response to […]
Posted inCourts, Incarceration
Overcrowded and Deadly: Fulton Jail Inmates Left Vulnerable as Aid Ends
Stanlecia Johnson is still dealing with the fallout of a brief stint in jail nearly six months ago, an ordeal that threw her life into disarray. The grandmother of four was brought to Fulton County Jail after being arrested for aggravated assault in May. Unable to post bail, she was held in jail for two […]
Posted inIncarceration
‘This Is Not Normal’: Protesters Decry ‘Atrocious Conditions’ at Fulton County Jail
Protesters gathered outside Fulton County Jail and Fulton County Courthouse on Thursday demanding change and accountability in response to a 97-page report released by the U.S. Department of Justice last week that exposed inhumane conditions at the facility. “I want them to know and to hear that this is not normal. Not all jails operate […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Mental Health
New Atlanta Diversion Center Offers a Different Vision of Public Safety
Atlanta and Fulton County officials on Monday took a major step toward reducing local arrests with the launch of a facility intended to serve people experiencing behavioral and mental health issues. The Center for Diversion and Services is a rehabilitative hub open around the clock, seven days a week, where law-enforcement officers and community response […]
Posted inIncarceration
Renovating Fulton County Jail Isn’t Enough, Sheriff Says
Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat remains adamant that the county must build a new jail despite the Board of Commissioners’ vote Wednesday to approve a $300 million renovation plan, which he described as “smoke and mirrors.” Labat called a press conference Friday morning to address his disappointment with the vote and to call on the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Fulton Officials, Activists Debate After New Jail Funding Fails
A new coalition of criminal justice advocates is challenging Fulton County Board of Commissioners on the best way to address the humanitarian and overcrowding crises that have plagued the county jail for decades. The one thing both sides agree on is that there won’t be a brand new jail built at a cost of billions […]
Posted inCapital B Atlanta, Criminal Justice
Fulton County Commissioners Vote No on Sales Tax for New Jail
The Fulton County Commission on Wednesday voted 4-2 not to pass a motion that would’ve directed the office of county management to pursue a sales tax to pay for a new jail projected to cost about $2 billion.