Monthly jail updates coming to Fulton commissioners as issues continue

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — On Wednesday, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to have monthly updates about the Fulton County Jail, amid a variety of problems plaguing the facility.

The resolution was sponsored by Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman and Vice Chairman Bob Ellis.

Among commissioners, the vote passed with a 4-2 majority, and one abstention.

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According to a release from the commission, Abdur-Rahman drafted the resolution in response to what she said were many calls about the jail and its operation coming in from county residents.

“Accountability to taxpayers is my chief concern,” said Abdur-Rahman. “The requirement of regular monthly updates not only allows us to monitor the progress being made on issues regarding personnel, jail conditions, medical care, building maintenance, and the utilization of Fulton County Jail facilities, but it also enables us to keep citizens apprised of developments.”

In recent months, issues at the Fulton County Jail have been top of mind.

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Since the beginning of June, holes were discovered in fences at the back of the jail, though deputies said no one had escaped through them, a breach was found in a window on the jail’s fifth floor, and an inmate dug a hole through a shower wall to attack another inmate.

Conditions inside the jail have remained in discussion after another inmate was reportedly eaten alive in his cell by bed bugs in late 2022.

An independent autopsy report commissioned by the inmate’s family was released in May. The report showed Lashawn Thompson’s body covered in bugs and living in deplorable conditions.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat asked for multiple jail officials to resign as a result. In addition to charges, Monique Clark was fired from the department. He had been employed by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office since 2016, according to officials.

More recently, a detention officer at the Fulton County Jail was arrested for using excessive force during a custody exchange for a detainee in Alpharetta.

Amid the variety of issues, Labat has asked for the resources to rebuild or replace the jail, but the county commission and the sheriff disagree about what’s needed for a solution.

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