Alpharetta and Milton residents, as Fulton County taxpayers, are helping fund an up to $1.3 billion jail improvement program the Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved in April — and a new federal report shows the underlying jail conditions the money is meant to fix still have a long way to go. Fulton County Jail has reached roughly 80% compliance with a federal consent decree, according to a federal court monitor's third report, released Thursday, Aug. 27. But more than half of required staff positions remain unfilled, and the fire alarm system does not work.
The report credited the Fulton County Sheriff's Office with "meaningful progress" over the past six months but identified staffing as the biggest barrier to meeting the terms of a January 2025 consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Fulton County entered that agreement after a November 2024 DOJ investigation concluded jail conditions were unconstitutional. More than 30 people have died in Fulton County custody over the past five years, according to Capital B Atlanta.
Staffing and safety shortfalls
An analysis of staffing data from April 29 through May 19 found roughly 54% of required hours at the Main Jail, Marietta Annex and South Annex went unfilled. That is barely an improvement from the prior reporting period, when about 55% of mandatory posts were vacant. Fewer than 30 applicants had been approved for hire as of June, though the monitor noted a recent uptick described as "showing promise."
The jail's fire alarm system is not operational and is not expected to work until September. The smoke evacuation system is also out of service. The State Fire Marshal is conducting monthly inspections while repairs continue.
The monitoring team observed burning wicks made from wires and paper, along with burned debris and the smell of smoke, during inspections at the Main Jail and South Annex. The county reported that of 80 doors recently repaired, 45% were damaged again within two weeks.
Conditions inside
A January plumbing failure released roughly 100,000 gallons of water inside the Main Jail. The monitoring team found overall cleanliness had declined since its October 2025 visit.
Some 17-year-olds in restrictive housing were found living in near-total darkness. In-cell lights worked in only 3 of 10 cells in that unit.
Medical staff told the monitoring team they routinely cannot complete all scheduled tasks each day. On some days they finish only four or five. The report called that "an unacceptable degree of systemic health care dysfunction."
Detention center lease in limbo
The lease for the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC), which houses 400 to 500 Fulton County inmates, expires in December. If renewed, the daily housing cost would jump from $50 to $150 per person. The Main Jail cannot absorb those inmates if the space disappears.
Five commissioners sent Mayor Andre Dickens and the Atlanta City Council a letter offering $56.5 million to purchase the ACDC, with a Monday, Aug. 31, response deadline. That offer followed Dickens's July 30 withdrawal of an earlier $80 million city proposal.
What comes next
Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said the county is making progress in areas where it has fallen short but cautioned the work is far from done. "That does not mean, though, that we're out of the woods yet," Pitts said Aug. 27.
Pitts said he agreed with the monitor's call for better communication between the board of commissioners, the county manager's staff and Sheriff Patrick Labat. 11Alive reported that the Fulton County Sheriff's Office had not responded to a request for comment as of 3 p.m. Aug. 27.
The monitor said it will track staffing and population levels over the next six months. If conditions remain where they stood in August, the team will ask the court for a hearing.
Construction on a new special-purpose facility, part of the $1.3 billion program, is not expected to begin until early 2028, with an opening projected for 2031. Renovations to the existing Rice Street Jail are slated for completion in 2035.
