U.S. Department of Justice files lawsuit against Fulton County Jail

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - More than a month after releasing a scathing report on Fulton County Jail, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed an official complaint against the sheriff’s office, and proposed a plan to solve some of the problems.

In the lawsuit, the DOJ argues the jail has a pattern of depriving incarcerated people of their constitutional rights, including discriminating against people with disabilities. Its 71-page plan proposes changes to almost everything about the facility, including but not limited to housing, staffing, training, mental and physical healthcare, pest management and more.

Once agreed upon, the plan will be legally binding as a consent order.

“This proposed consent decree is a critical step toward correcting the dangerous and dehumanizing conditions that have persisted in the Fulton County Jail for far too long,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said.

Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said he expected the filing and plans to enter the consent order.

“This consent order is a roap to a better future for our facility, staff, and the individuals entrusted to our care,” he said in a statement. “Together, these opportunities will build meaningful and long-lasting change.”

But Labat has stayed true to his belief that Fulton County needs a new jail. In July, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners scrapped plans for a $1.7 billion replacement jail, instead approving $300 million to rehabilitate the existing building.

“While we recognize the board’s authority to make decisions about its facility, failure to modernize the building to include locks, additional onsite maintenance, and a complete retool of plumbing, undermines the goals of the proposed consent order,” the sheriff’s office said.

“In its ongoing commitment to improving physical conditions at the jail, Fulton County has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve the investigation into the jail through a Consent Decree that was presented to the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia today,” the Fulton County Board of Commissioners said. “The Board of Commissioners and county istration will collaborate with the Department of Justice, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, and other appropriate partners to ensure that the of this agreement are implemented.

“Importantly, Fulton County will continue its work to improve the Jail facility,” the board said. “In 2024 the Board of Commissioners committed to investing up to $300 million in Jail facility improvements and we have already taken significant steps in that effort.”

“While we applaud DOJ’s involvement, we remain concerned about the implementation of a consent decree while Sheriff Labat remains in charge of the jail,” said Michael Collins, senior director of Color Of Change, a progressive nonprofit civil rights organization. “The sheriff has shown himself to be corrupt, incompetent, and has lost the trust of the community and legislators. Until you address the sheriff, until you address the culture, and until you address the trust, the County runs the risk of repeating its history of death and destruction with respect to the jail.”

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