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Fulton County Jail reforms underway with DOJ-approved deal

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Published  February 21, 2025 10:39pm EST
Fulton County Jail
FOX 5 Atlanta

Fulton County-DOJ agreement moves forward

The push to clean up the Fulton County Jail just weeks after a court-approved deal was reached between Fulton County and the United States Department of Justice regarding the filthy and deadly conditions at the jail. Work could soon get underway to turn it around. A monitor was just selected to oversee the turnaround effort.

The Brief

    • A court-approved deal was reached between Fulton County and the DOJ to address violence and life-threatening conditions at the county jail.
    • Kathleen Kenney, an experienced attorney in corrections, was selected as the monitor to oversee the implementation of reforms.
    • The reforms include improved supervision, staffing, and mental-health care, following scrutiny after the death of Lawshawn Thompson in 2022.

ATLANTA - Just weeks after a court-approved deal was reached between Fulton County and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the conditions at the county jail, efforts could soon get underway to improve the facility. 

The DOJ says the jail has been plagued with violence and life-threatening conditions that violated the constitutional rights of the people housed there. On Friday, a monitor was selected to oversee the turnaround effort.

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What we know:

Earlier this year, Fulton County and federal officials agreed to a range of reforms at the county jail. 

After interviewing multiple candidates, a monitor, agreed upon by both sides, was approved by a federal judge to ensure necessary improvements are made. 

The monitor is Kathleen Kenney, an attorney with over 32 years of experience in corrections. 

Previously, she was the Interim Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Corrections and worked at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. 

Kenney will oversee the implementation of the court-approved reforms, including improved supervision and staffing, improved mental-health care, and other required changes. 

The jail has been under scrutiny since the death of Lawshawn Thompson in 2022. 

His body was found in a cell infested with bedbugs, and an independent autopsy found he died of neglect.

What they're saying:

"The jail needs help, the sheriff's office needs help, the county needs help," said Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat. "This is an opportunity for government support in this area to help us achieve some pretty remarkable things." 

Sheriff Labat says with Kenney coming on board, he sees great potential for the jail. "There's an opportunity for us, and certainly, I hope, an appetite for us to do better and that ultimately will result in more funding for a lot of the things that we need," he said. 

Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts says all sides agreed on Kenney. "She just comes across as so experienced, so well trained, so objective." 

Sheriff Labat and the Fulton County Commission have been at odds on the facility. The sheriff wants a new jail, while the county prefers to simply fix it up. The county has set aside $300 million for improvements but says it will provide more if needed. "It may be unfortunate that we had to get to this point, but in my opinion, from my perspective, it's the best thing that could have happened because now this keeps us on track," Pitts said.

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The Source: FOX 5's Tyler Fingert spoke with Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat and Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts for this story. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta article were also sourced for background details with the links in the article above.

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