ATLANTA — On Wednesday, Republicans in a Georgia Senate committee moved forward with a bill that would require Atlanta to let the Fulton County sheriff use the city jail, paying only for its upkeep.
Supporters of the plan said it would ease overcrowding in the county jail, which is being looked into by federal authorities for having unsafe and dirty conditions that violate the rights of the people held there. Last month, Fulton County and Sheriff Pat Labat made a legal deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to make the conditions in county jails better.
Since 2021, thirty-two people have died while in prison in Fulton County, as reported by the sheriff’s office. This includes two deaths in the city jail, where the county currently uses around 350 beds out of a possible 700 that they can use based on a deal with the city.
Fulton County commissioners have wanted to take over Atlanta’s city jail for a while. They believe this controversial move could help reduce overcrowding and keep less dangerous inmates apart from those considered more dangerous. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has stated that he will not move the Atlanta City Detention Center.
Sen. John Albers, a Republican from Roswell and the author of a bill named SB 7, said, “I cannot make the sale of the jail happen through legislation.” He said that SB 7 requires the jail to be rented to the county at a fair price.
The bill passed 5-2, with no backing from the Democrats. Critics argue that the state shouldn’t get involved in neighborhood issues. They warned that the push for more room overlooks the poor management and wrongdoing by the county, the sheriff’s office, and jail staff, which will allow the problems to keep happening. Advocates for criminal justice believe that cops should arrest fewer people and send more cases to programs that offer mental health and financial support.
Terrica Redfield Ganzy, executive director of the Southern Center for Human Rights, said, “The Department of Justice report shows a widespread lack of care and attention, which is leading to a violent culture. This neglect is harming people and shows a shocking lack of concern for their health and well-being in that facility.”
County Manager Dick Anderson described the jail as a “underused resource” during a hearing on Monday. He proposed using it for women and individuals with medical or mental health issues. Labat supported that idea during Wednesday’s hearing and said he needs more workers. He agreed that there are greater issues in the jail that need to be addressed, and simply taking over the jail won’t fix everything.
Albers expressed that he would like Atlanta and Fulton County to reach an agreement on their own, but he hasn’t seen any successful talks so far.
Sen. Sonya Halpern, a Democrat from Atlanta who voted against the bill, believes there are enough people who can collaborate to find ways for the county to use the building more often without help from the state.
Halpern said, “I believe we are making a serious mistake and creating a bad example by letting counties take the assets of any city.”
Albers mentioned that the state has stepped in before to help move assets when a new city was formed. Jim Thornton, the head of Governmental Relations for the Georgia Municipal Association, disagreed on Wednesday. He said that choices about new cities should be made locally and that the state shouldn’t interfere with the jail situation.
Labat, who started his job in January 2021, has previously pushed for a costly new jail. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners, which has a difficult relationship with Labat, has turned down that idea for now. Instead, they have chosen to spend over $300 million on renovations to prevent a property tax hike. The Justice Department report stated that six weeks after repairing a housing unit, the damage reappeared. Federal inspectors stated that the jail will likely stay in bad condition that leads to violence until its supervision gets better.
“The sheriff said we need to change our culture.”
The death of Lashawn Thompson in 2022, found in a cell full of bedbugs in the jail’s psychiatric ward, led to the Justice Department’s probe. The report says that officers were aware of the pest problem in his room but did not take action to fix it. It added that the month before he died, he didn’t receive his recommended medications, including those for psychosis. He lost 32 pounds (14.5 kilograms) while in jail for three months.
Fulton County currently has fewer than 2,500 detainees. About 1,600 are at the main jail, and the rest are at other facilities, according to figures from the sheriff’s office. Sixteen percent of people have unindicted cases now, compared to 34% in May 2023.
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