Can state lawmakers force Atlanta to let Fulton County take over the city jail?

The dilapidated Fulton County jail has long been plagued with inmate deaths and violence. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation accused county officials of violating the civil rights of the people housed there by allowing “abhorrent, unconstitutional” conditions.

Between 2009 and October 2022, more than 60 Fulton detainees died, the highest total for any jail in Georgia during that time, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation found. Last month, the DOJ and Fulton County reached a legal agreement to resolve deplorable and unsafe conditions at the Rice Street facility.

Republican State Sen. John Albers — whose district includes parts of north Fulton, Cobb and Cherokee counties — sponsored the bill that’s making its way through the Georgia General Assembly. He said last week that legislators can’t force Atlanta to sell the jail, but they can force them to lease more space.

Atlanta lawmakers and officials have condemned the Republican-led effort and are working to curb the proposal.

“We don’t need anyone telling us what to do with city property,” council member Matt Westmoreland told the AJC. “I completely agree that the Fulton County Jail is a crisis and is in crisis and I believe it’s the responsibility of the county to fix it.

“If leaders of the state want to help them, there are a lot of other, more appropriate, ways that they could do that.”

Elder Dancy, Atlanta’s interim chief of corrections, said Fulton County isn’t utilizing all of the 700 beds already available to them.

“Currently we are at approximately 360 so those numbers have dropped since 2022,” he said.

Labat also made an appearance under the Gold Dome to nudge legislators on the Senate’s public safety committee to move the bill forward.

“With the addition of (the city detention center), we could do a lot better,” Labat said about improving Fulton County jail conditions. “We could do a lot better with respect to mental health populations, if we owned it.

“If you asked me as a sheriff, I’d like to have it.”

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Credit: Ben Gray

Credit: Ben Gray

Housing advocates and city leaders fanned out across the city in late January to conduct the annual “Point in Time Count” that documents the number of homeless Atlanta residents living on city streets.

Advocates and volunteers visit homeless encampments in parks, around bridges, in woods and abandoned buildings. They’ll also look for people living in cars, a harder population to spot because of their mobility.

While last year’s count found that homelessness in Atlanta has decreased by 30% since 2016, the number of people without housing increased 7% from 2023 to 2024.

The survey doesn’t always capture the full picture. Many people float in and out of homelessness or move to new areas. But the data collected provides the best estimate of the city’s number of sheltered and unsheltered populations.

Atlanta’s mayor usually joins the annual count and said this year he met homeless residents from far away cities like Savannah, and many struggling with mental or behavioral health issues.

“The count is going to be higher this year than it’s ever been or at least it’s been in a quite a few years — I’m anticipating,” Dickens said in a social media post.

The 2025 count came just weeks after the tragic death of Cornelius Taylor, a homeless resident who died during a city encampment clearing near the Old Wheat Street. Witnesses say a Department of Public Works construction vehicle rolled over Taylor’s tent while he was inside it on Jan. 16.

Atlanta City Council members passed legislation last week that put a moratorium on using “heavy equipment” during camp clearings pending a review of the city’s policies and procedures. Another approved proposal establishes a task force that is set to conduct that review.

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Got tips, tricks or just want to say hello? Email me at riley.bunch@ajc.com.

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Credit: Miguel Martinez