ATLANTA — Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts is responding after a recent attack in the Fulton County jail sent two detainees to the hospital with serious stab wounds.
“It’s distressing and It’s disturbing,” Pitts told Channel 2 Action News Thursday. “But when you have as many inmates as we have in our jail, what can you expect?”
Pitts’ comments come just days after Domence Flannigan, 28, told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden how he was attacked and stabbed 35 times during a fight inside the jail Sunday morning.
Investigators also confirmed that Cordarra Tuitt, 33, was rushed to the hospital after getting stabbed multiple times.
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Both detainees have been released from the hospital and recovering at the jail.
A spokesperson with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office told Channel 2 that the attack is currently under investigation and multiple people could face charges.
Since Sunday’s attack, Channel 2 Action News has learned that the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has investigated more than 150 stabbings or attempted stabbings inside the jail since May.
Investigators also confirmed that authorities had confiscated more than 1,500 shanks.
Sheriff Pat Labat told Channel 2 Action News that the building is falling apart and detainees are using pieces of it to craft knives used in the attacks.
An architectural firm hired by the county conducted a study that concluded that within 25 years, Fulton County will need a jail nearly four times the size of the current overcrowded facility on Rice Street.
The price tag for the project would cost $2 billion, according to the study.
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The operational capacity of the current facility is 2,254, but as of Thursday morning, the population of the jail stood at 2,885 detainees. Despite the overcrowding and violent attacks, Pitts says he is still opposed to building a brand new jail.
“I think we need to better utilize what we have at our disposal,” he said. “What we have at our disposal is Rice Street which can be renovated. We can buy that (Atlanta) city jail and we can renovate and utilize Union City and the Alpharetta jails.”
Pitts says the overcrowding is also causing problems for gang members who are in jail awaiting trial.
“In our Fulton County jail, these are not choirboys and choirgirls in our jail and I’m told that the inmates in our jail are some of the roughest and toughest in the entire country,” he added.
“When you have rival gangs in close confinement, you’re going to have issues.”
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Last month, commissioners announced that the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office would receive an $11 million budget increase. Sheriff Pat Labat confirmed that the increase would lead to 20% pay raise for deputies and detention officers. It would also result in overtime.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office sent the following statement to Channel 2 Action News:
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office confirms an incident, which occurred on February 5th at the Fulton County Jail, is under investigation. Two inmates were injured and treated at Grady Hospital. Both have since returned to the Fulton County Jail. Once the investigation is complete, every detainee involved in the altercation and every detainee who brandished a weapon will face additional charges.
As is always the case, the results of the completed investigation will also help form any decisions made about changes in policies and procedures. These dangerous confrontations are exactly why Sheriff Patrick Labat has implored the Fulton County Board of Commissioners to approve critical funding for a new facility.
For the first time since the jail’s existence, we started collecting data last May as it relates to safety and security concerns. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office routinely does security rounds, and has conducted nearly 100 shakedowns the last 8 months. Fulton County Sheriff’s Office deputies and detention officers have confiscated more than 1500 shanks (homemade knives) and have responded to more than 150 stabbings, or attempted stabbings.
Those numbers are of grave concern but only tell part of the story when it comes to the urgent need for a new facility. Housing detainees in a congregant setting comes with inherent risk that only intensifies as a result of overcrowding. While Sheriff Labat continues to push for long-term solutions he’s also working aggressively on short-term solutions including reducing the population of non-violent offenders and negotiating for safe housing with other counties that have availability. Because of obvious security concerns, FCSO is not able to release specific details about staffing assignments but the department is offering unprecedented hiring bonuses, and approved salary increases to recruit and retain personnel to help combat critical staffing challenges.”
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