Fulton sheriff blasts county for halting plan to build new jail

Sheriff Pat Labat is not giving up hope for building a $1.7 billion jail despite the Fulton County Commission choosing to abandon the plan.

Why it matters: The commission's decision last week to solicit proposals to refurbish the Rice Street and South Annex facilities is the latest in a push and pull over how to address the jail's overcrowding issues and crumbling infrastructure.

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Driving the news: Labat opened parts of the Rice Street facility, the county's main jail, for a media tour on Friday.

• The tour showcased the Fulton County Sheriff's Office's "blitz project," which calls for installing updated light fixtures, improving plumbing, and adding fresh paint to the jail's 78 zones.
• Deputies also showed reporters a barrel full of weapons Labat said detainees fashioned out of parts of the building.

What's inside: Areas that are undergoing repairs have rusted doors, peeling paint on walls and floors, water stains, and graffiti on the walls. Detainees housed in zones that are due to be renovated are relocated to other facilities.

• One zone that was refurbished in November 2023 was experiencing an active water leak Friday that stretched across parts of the floor. Detainees were still housed there.

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office is in the midst of its "blitz project," which calls for refurbishing the 78 zones inside the Rice Street jail. Photo: Kristal Dixon

What they're saying: Labat said Friday while the agency is tasked with running the jail, county commissioners are responsible for funding maintenance, which he said amounts to $300,000 per month.

• Rice Street's existing building is out of date and materials used to construct the jail are no longer in use, Labat said.
• The county will spend $1 to $2 billion over the next three to 10 years just on refurbishing the facility while a new jail would last about 30 years, Labat said.
• "This project is really putting a Band-Aid on open-heart surgery," he said, adding the Board of Commissioner's plan wouldn't see renovations happen until around 2026. "We need help immediately."

The interior of a jail cell slated to be refurbished at Fulton County's Rice Street facility. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios

The other side : County Commissioner Bob Ellis said in a statement that renovations will "result in a safer jail far faster than rebuilding," and that a new jail would require a 25% tax increase.

• "It would be irresponsible to continue wasting time studying an approach that is so out of balance with the needs of our community," he said.
• Criminal justice reform advocates are also opposed to a new jail, saying police and the court system should work to steer people arrested for minor offenses towards diversion initiatives.

Commissioners should wait for the results of an upcoming assessment of Rice Street before committing to one approach, Michael Collins, the senior director of government affairs at social advocacy group Color of Change, told Axios.

• "[The commission has] spent two years fantasizing about this facility, and now it's not happening," he said. "And so now we want to be able to have a conversation about these other solutions."

By the numbers: As of Friday 2,512 detainees were being housed at county-owned facilities and outside detention centers that have agreed to hold Fulton inmates.

• Of those, Rice Street had 1,610 detainees.
• A 2023 feasibility study commissioned by the county noted a new jail should have at least 4,416 beds, which is nearly four times more than the 1,125 beds Rice Street was built to house.

The big picture: Conditions at Fulton County detention facilities date back years. A 2022 settlement agreement required the sheriff's office to make improvements to its South Annex Jail .

• In September 2022, the body of LaShawn Thompson was found in his cell covered in bug bites.
• An independent autopsy showed Thompson , who suffered from mental health issues, died from "severe neglect."
• The county approved a $4 million settlement agreement with Thompson's family.
• The Department of Justice also announced last year that it was conducting a civil rights investigation into the jail following Thompson's death.

What's next: The county this month will begin soliciting proposals to renovate both Rice Street and the South Annex and if that timeline holds, commissioners could vote on which proposal to accept in December.

• Meanwhile an assessment of both facilities could begin in January, and the commission could determine the scope of the renovations later next year.

Reporters were allowed to tour parts of the Rice Street jail that were undergoing refurbishment. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios One zone that was repaired in November 2023 was still experiencing plumbing issues Friday. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios A makeshift board with chess and checkers pieces were seen on the table inside the Fulton County jail. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios Another makeshift board with chess pieces. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat says detainees are using parts of the jail's crumbling infrastructure to make weapons. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios Sheriff's office employees work inside the 4 North zone, which was refurbished earlier this year. Photo: Kristal Dixon/Axios