Fulton hopes to end 10-year-old jail lawsuit

Fulton County is about to mark the 10th anniversary of a lawsuit over jail conditions that has cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Persistent overcrowding, understaffing, faulty locks and other problems have prolonged the litigation. But a flurry of recent efforts to fix the problems has given Fulton officials hope of finally ending the lawsuit and federal supervision of the Rice Street jail.

U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash may decide this summer whether Fulton has made enough progress to dismiss the lawsuit. County officials say they have a strong case.

“It’s been a long haul, but I think it’s reasonable to hope we have this thing lifted sometime this year,” said County Commission Chairman John Eaves.

The jail’s critics disagree. They want to see Fulton run a fully staffed, secure jail for six months to a year before conceding its problems are fixed.

“We don’t want the investment of public funds to go to waste by having conditions deteriorate in the facility,” said Melanie Velez, an attorney for the Southern Center for Human Rights.