Georgia Senate hands down Fulton County Jail recommendations

A special Georgia Senate subcommittee investigating the Fulton County Jail made 17 recommendations for the Fulton County Commission, sheriff, district attorney, clerk of courts, and the Fulton Superior Court.

Georgia senators announced in October 2023 that an investigation was underway following the deaths of 10 inmates over a nine-month period.

Roswell Sen. John Albers, the chair of the Senate’s Public Safety Committee, and Catula Sen. Randy Robertson announced the results of their probe on Friday morning after holding seven meetings of the Senate Public Safety Subcommittee on the Fulton County Jail.

“The public and private relationship between the County Commissioner and Sheriff has been tenuous, unprofessional, and not the conduct the citizens should expect. Weekly professional meetings should take place to improve the relationship, trust, and spirit of teamwork to solve problems,” the senators said in their recommendations.

Additional recommendations include:

• The City of Atlanta should transfer its detention center to Fulton County for safer confinement of detainees awaiting judicial hearings in their criminal cases.

• A Fulton County Jail Advisory Board should be established by the county commission with representatives from the sheriff’s office, district attorney’s Office, clerk of courts, and the superior court.

• The DA should hire a third-party expert to streamline the process, people, and outdated technology.

• The county commission should partner with the Georgia Sheriff’s Association and employ a third-party jail expert to oversee jail renovations, consolidation, and construction

• Fulton Superior Court judges should carry full dockets, while the clerk of the court should establish policies and procedures to track felony cases from arrest to adjudication. Monthly reports should be available for all agencies within the criminal justice system and the commission.

Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts responded to the report after receiving a copy, saying several of the recommendations are in progress.  A jail renovation plan was adopted last month, he said. The commission has invested $13.3 million in repairs and renovations to housing units and approved another $3.2 million for upgrades to elevators, fire alarms, and kitchen equipment

“We took particular note of the recommendation for the City of Atlanta to provide the Atlanta City Detention Center since Fulton County has pursued the acquisition of that facility for more than a decade and has been repeatedly rebuffed in those efforts,” Pitts said.

He said they looked forward to collaborating with the General Assembly during the 2025 session to implement the recommendations.

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