Judge Threatens County Commissioners With Jail
A federal judge on Tuesday threatened Fulton County GA commissioners with fines or incarceration if they don’t provide adequate funding for the county jail.
In a three-page order, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob put officials on notice they could be held in contempt if Sheriff Ted Jackson is not provided the necessary resources to bring the jail into compliance with a court order. Shoob issued the order in an ongoing case filed in 2004 that alleged the jail was understaffed, crowded, dirty and dangerous. In February 2006, Shoob approved a consent decree, under which the county pledged to improve conditions.
Shoob’s court-appointed monitor recently expressed concern over the county’s decision to cut the sheriff’s budget from $98 million to $93.4 million. The monitor believes such a reduced budget will not enable the sheriff to comply with the consent decree, Shoob said. “The county defendants should be aware that it is their obligation to budget sufficient funds to enable the sheriff to comply with all requirements set out in the consent decree,” Shoob wrote. “This obligation is unconditional.” Revenue shortfalls or a general need to cut spending will not be considered “as a justification for noncompliance with this obligation,” Shoob added …
Shoob listed the defendants as Fulton County, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and the individual commissioners.
