This browser does not support the Video element.
Sheriff's continues push for new jail in second term
Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat says he will continue to push for a new jail in his second term. The Fulton County Jail has faced criticism including a federal probe.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat issued a statement Monday before being sworn into office for a second term, addressing November's Department of Justice (DOJ) report which detailed deplorable conditions at the Fulton County Jail.
DOJ officials found inmates are subjected to inhumane, violent, and hazardous conditions.
RELATED STORIES
- Lashawn Thompson: Family releases independent autopsy of Fulton County Jail inmate 'consumed by bedbugs'
- Fulton County commissioners reach settlement in death of inmate 'eaten alive by bedbugs'
- Fulton County inmate killed in Cobb County Jail; cellmate charged
- Former nurse contractor, detention officer arrested in Fulton County jail contraband investigation
- Ex-Fulton County jail workers charged for giving inmates phones and cigarettes
- Supreme Court ruling on homelessness worsens Fulton County Jail overcrowding, advocates say
This browser does not support the Video element.
Fulton County Jail tour shows deterioration
Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat open the doors to the jail to show FOX 5 the extremely poor conditions he is attempting to fix. As the Fulton County Board of Commissioners continue to debate, the sheriff continues to try to work to improve things with what he has.
"Although the scope of the DOJ’s report did not include determining the need for a replacement facility," the sheriff said, "it is important to acknowledge that many of the issues highlighted are worsened by the deteriorating condition of the current facility."
In July, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved $300 million in renovations for the Rice Street facility.
While the Sheriff's Office works to resolve the issues highlighted in the DOJ report, Sheriff Labat said the jail has continued to deteriorate.
RELATED: Fulton County sheriff faces another overtime pay rejection amid employee exodus
"Rice Street is still Rice Street, and we can put as much paint on the walls as we want to. But, this has been decades in the making," said Sheriff Labat. "So, it's an opportunity to still, as we look down the road, to really get what our community deserves. And when you talk about a new facility, you talk about better treatment, better programming … It improves recruitment and improves retention, ability to make sure that our community as a whole is serviced properly."
This browser does not support the Video element.
FULL: DOJ and US Attorney's Office press Fulton County Jail press conference
The Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney's Office Northern District held a press conference early Thursday afternoon to discuss the results of the civil investigation into the Fulton County Jail.
The Source: This article was written based on a statement released by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office and a one-on-one conversation between FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Deidra Dukes and Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat. Other details about the DOJ report were previously reported by Digital Content Creator Joyce Lupiani and the FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team.