Staffing crisis may require cap on Fulton’s jail population, report says
Reducing Fulton County’s jail population may be “the next reasonable course of action” to resolve a staffing crisis that prevents the county from safely and humanely housing its inmates, according to an evaluation of the county’s compliance with a legal agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to improve deplorable conditions at the Rice Street jail.
“Absent sustained and measurable progress, a court-ordered population cap aligned with available staffing levels may become necessary to ensure safe operations,” according to the report by Kathleen Kenney, the court-appointed lead monitor for the agreement, known as a consent decree.
The county and Sheriff Patrick Labat entered into the consent decree in January 2025. The goals of the agreement include providing inmates with “reasonable protection from violence,” ensuring they are not victims of excessive force and making sure that living conditions are safe and sanitary.
The report, which was filed Friday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, says the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office’s staffing shortage “contributes to extreme violence and security violations, posing substantial risks to both residents and staff, as well as impacting the broader community.”
The lack of regular supervision has allowed inmates to ignite fires, assault other inmates, and damage cell windows, doors, lights and other crucial security devices, the report says.
The report notes the county and the Sheriff’s Office have acknowledged the urgency of the staffing crisis, but that measures to reverse the decline in staffing levels have not yet succeeded — with the number of employees who perform detention duties dropping by about 10% from December 2024 to December 2025, according to the report.
The report also notes that the county has partnered with a recruitment firm and commissioned a comprehensive salary survey. It also has contracted with a private security agency to fill vacant positions and support deputies and detention officers assigned to housing units, among other measures.
As of Jan. 20, according to the report, 71 contract employees were working in “unit control towers” and 33 others were in training.
Labat continues to reassign some personnel from non-custody divisions to jail duties, though this measure “does not match the dire needs in the jail,” the report says.
“Unless and until ... staffing levels increase or the population substantially decreases, it will be virtually impossible for (the sheriff’s office) and the County to obtain substantial compliance with the Consent Decree,” the report says.
The report said the monitoring team saw improvement in the number of inmates in holding tanks — cells used to temporarily house inmates. That population decreased from more than 100 in May to 13 during an October visit.
In a statement, Fulton Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said he was “pleased with the progress we have made in a short period of time.”
“I want Fulton County residents to know that we remain fully committed to improving conditions within the jail and that we will continue to provide updates,” Pitts said.
In a news release, officials said the county’s 2026 budget includes more than $50 million to address jail-related concerns outlined by the federal monitor, including $16.7 million specifically for staffing and recruitment incentives.
“In total, Fulton County’s 2026 General Fund budget includes $233.7 million for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and other jail-related costs, up from $132.6 million five years ago,” the news release says.
The Board of Commissioners and the sheriff have butted heads over funding issues many times in recent years.
On Friday, the Sheriff’s Office said it could not immediately provide a response to the report.
Among the challenges mentioned in the report, weapons are often used in assaults and inmates cut through windows, allowing drones to hover outside and deliver drugs, cellphones and weapon components to inmates’ cells.
Gang activity is pervasive, leading to stabbings and other attacks.
“While the (sheriff’s office) is committed to addressing and abating gang activity, severe staffing shortages and fragmented investigative responsibilities shared between custody and non-custody investigative units undermine the development and implementation of a cohesive gang management strategy,” the report says.
The report also examined uses of force by staff.
An analysis of about 20 randomly selected use-of-force incidents from last year “revealed significant concerns regarding staff training and response practices.”
“Staff members were found to be inadequately trained in de-escalation techniques, and their responses frequently did not align with the (sheriff’s office) policies or accepted principles for the use of force,” the report says.
It also says that the staffing shortages hinder maintenance workers from getting adequate access to housing units to make repairs.
According to the report, a monitoring team found the general level of cleanliness had improved in October, compared to the conditions observed during a visit in May.
“However, significant, serious sanitation deficiencies were found, including accumulations of soils, soap film, and mold in numerous showers; a large area of mold on the ceiling in the intake area; dusty air vents; soiled walls and floors; and accumulations of dust, trash, and debris in various cells and pipe chases,” the report says.
In the main jail, “deficiencies that hinder proper kitchen sanitation were observed, including severely peeling wall paint, missing grout and missing and broken ceiling tiles,” the report says. Mold was found in “numerous showers.”
The report also found that inmates continue to break locks in the main jail, creating an unsafe environment. The Sheriff’s Office’s fire protection and safety practices are inadequate to protect inmates, the report adds, mentioning a fire set on Dec. 12 that seriously injured inmates and staff.
At the main jail, the number of people placed on suicide watch “frequently exceeded the availability of suicide-resistant cells, leading to the placement of detainees in cells not designed for suicide prevention, including cells with ligature risks and obstructed sightlines,” the report says.
Among other recommendations, the report says the county and Sheriff’s Office should have a dedicated and experienced compliance team to lead implementation of the consent decree’s provisions, starting with at least five full-time staff.
The report says it’s crucial that the county and the Sheriff’s Office improve collaboration and “engage in solution-focused approaches and boldly address the profound challenges ahead with a renewed commitment to communication, information sharing and cross-divisional transparency.”
Kenney, the lead monitor, could not immediately be reached for comment.
About the Author
Reed Williams is an enterprise reporter on the Local team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
