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Fulton And Atlanta: Jail Marriage On Again?

April 10th, 2009
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ga-atlanta-jail1Plans for Fulton County GA to take over Atlanta’s jail resurfaced Thursday, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Attorneys involved in the ongoing effort to improve conditions inside the Fulton County Jail talked about a plan where the county would make an offer to the city to operate its jail, said Emmet Bondurant, an attorney who attended the meeting.   About 1,044 inmates are housed daily at the Atlanta jail —- two-thirds of them federal or Fulton County inmates, city auditors say. Thursday’s meeting was held in the offices of Senior U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob, who is overseeing a federal court order to improve the jail …

“This appears to be a serendipitous opportunity,” said Bondurant, former chairman of a commission that pushed for the idea four years ago. “[The city] has a facility too large for its own needs and the [county] has a facility that is too small.”  Greg Giornelli, the city’s chief operating officer, said Atlanta is willing to listen to any county proposals.  “We are considering all options related to the city jail,” he said Thursday. “However, a deal with Fulton County is particularly compelling on a number of levels.”

City officials were reluctant to consider the idea in 2005 and 2006, but the concept is more compelling now, for several reasons. Atlanta, like most big cities, is suffering financially and its corrections department budget is $38.5 million. A recent internal audit of that department found it overspent its corrections budget six of the past seven years.

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Judge Threatens County Commissioners With Jail

January 28th, 2009
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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.

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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.

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