FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Days after announcing the U.S. Department of Justice had reached an agreement with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office to fix multiple issues at the Fulton County Jail, the consent decree was signed.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office agreed to a “court-enforceable” consent order on Friday to make sure the conditions at its facility no longer violate the 8th and 14th Amendments, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
On Monday afternoon, the Fulton County Sheriff announced the consent decree proposed by the USDOJ had been adopted and signed, finalizing the order so that “all parties” involved can “focus on solutions in the year ahead to improve jail conditions” as fast as possible.
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The signing of the agreement is the next step toward correcting a litany of issues highlighted by the USDOJ in a November report on conditions inside the jail, which included multiple constitutional and civil rights violations, as well as failures to meet the needs of those being detained inside.
As of the end of 2024, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office told Channel 2 Action News that five inmates or detainees had died while in the sheriff’s custody, though the office also clarified that three had died at the Rice Street Jail, while one had died at the Atlanta City Detention Center and one had died at the Cobb County Jail.
While those who had specifically died at other facilities outside of the Rice Street jail facility were not identified, the overall total of five was half as many deaths as the previous year, 2023, when there were 10 deaths at the main Fulton County Jail location.
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In a statement released by the sheriff’s office, FCSO released some of the steps they’d be taking to address the concerns of the USDOJ. Those steps include:
- housing assignment changes
- a new jail management system
- upgraded technology at the facility
- new staffing analysis to optimize deployment and to help hire and retain qualified employees
- more use of technology to monitor contraband entering the facility and investigate inmate violence and criminal acts
- an updated training program for staff
- new inmate orientation procedures and enacting the process to renovate the jail facility to handle structural integrity needs
The USDOJ released their own proposed steps, which include the following:
- Improve supervision and staffing;
- Maintain doors and locks in working order;
- Require staff to abide by constitutional standards when using force;
- Take steps to protect incarcerated people at risk of suicide and to afford incarcerated people adequate medical and mental health care;
- Develop and implement a comprehensive housekeeping plan and pest management system to keep the Jail clean, sanitary, and free of pests;
- Stop use of isolation or restrictive housing of vulnerable people who are at substantial risk of self-harm or other negative mental health outcomes, absent specific and significant protections; and
- Facilitate the provision of adequate special education services to children with disabilities in the Jail.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners is meeting Tuesday morning, with related items on the agenda that include a new vote on approving vendor funding for jail services and another focused on declaring a state of emergency due to conditions at the jail.
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