A 10-year-old lawsuit over dangerous conditions at the Fulton County jail will drag on at least a few more months, thanks to a disagreement over what constitutes adequate staffing at the Rice Street facility.
The county sheriff’s department and a human rights group that filed the lawsuit say the jail still doesn’t have enough staff to ensure the safety of inmates and employees. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners contends it has provided enough money to comply with the staffing requirements imposed by a federal court that is overseeing jail conditions.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash directed the parties to work together to determine proper jail staffing and report back in March. He also indicated he’d like to bring the litigation to an end.
“This case is not going to go on forever,” Thrash told the attorneys at Wednesday’s hearing.
In 2004, the Southern Center for Human Rights filed a lawsuit over jail conditions on behalf of inmates. The lawsuit described a short-staffed jail where inmates slept on the floor; plumbing and other basic systems didn’t work; and inmates and employees alike were assaulted.
The county has slowly addressed a long list of improvements mandated by a consent decree governing jail conditions. Fixing faulty cell locks and other problems has cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
The last remaining issue is addressing inadequate staffing. But the parties disagree about what the consent decree requires.
Fulton County attorney Steven Rosenberg told Thrash the Board of Commissioners has provided funding for about 670 corrections officers for the jail. He said that’s the staffing level required by the consent decree.
Attorneys for the Southern Center and Sheriff Ted Jackson disagreed. They said the jail has had enough front-line officers to comply with the order on only a few days over the last four months. Jackson recently said he needs up to $20 million over four years to hire 339 deputies and detention officers to comply with the requirements of the consent decree.
The parties have scheduled another court hearing for March 4 to report on their progress.
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