Sheriff shows deplorable conditions on tour of Fulton County Jail
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.
ATLANTA - Government leaders have described the worsening conditions at the Fulton County Jail.
On Thursday, Sheriff Pat Labat opened the doors to the public by bringing in television cameras for a close-up look. The deplorable conditions could not be an overstatement.
There are floors that are partially closed due to burst pipes and overflowing toilets, with dirty water and human waste on the concrete floor.
These closures have further burdened the already overcrowded sections, with reporters seeing some male inmates curled up in doggy-style trays on the floor.
"We have been putting a Band-Aid on this," Labat told FOX 5. "What we need is a replacement jail."
The death in 2022 of an inmate who sustained countless bed bug bites made the jail conditions an international story.
Labat forced the resignations of top-tier management at the Rice Street facility.
The sheriff said he has been told that the rank and file feared coming to him to reveal how bad the situation had become because they did not want to go over the heads of their bosses.