A federal judge freed the Fulton County Jail from more than a decade of court oversight and a consent order that mandated tens of millions of dollar in renovations, a cap on inmate population and minimum staffing levels.
District Judge Thomas W. Thrash on Thursday closed a 2004 lawsuit brought because the jail was overcrowded, dirty and dangerous. Thrash said while staffing continued to be a problem at the jail, conditions at the northwest Atlanta lockup are much improved over what they where when the Southern Center for Human Rights filed a suit on behalf of inmates.
Thrash’s decision was not a surprise, however. He had already said the case had lasted too long and suggested that the county’s attorneys file a request to terminate the case.
The county’s attorney said the lawsuit ultimately cost about $1 billion to make renovations on the jail, put in place accountability courts and programs to divert offenders from jail and to rent beds in other jails to mitigate crowding.
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