Fulton County Commissioners Threatened With Dirty Jail Time

From The Atlanta Journal Constitution:

A federal judge on Tuesday threatened Fulton County commissioners with fines or incarceration if they don’t provide adequate funding for the county jail.

In a three-page order, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Shoob put officials on notice they could be held in contempt if Sheriff Ted Jackson is not provided the necessary resources to bring the jail into compliance with a court order.

Atlanta and Fulton County news Shoob issued the order in an ongoing case filed in 2004 that alleged the jail was understaffed, crowded, dirty and dangerous. In February 2006, Shoob approved a consent decree, under which the county pledged to improve conditions.

Shoob’s court-appointed monitor recently expressed concern over the county’s decision to cut the sheriff’s budget from $98 million to $93.4 million. The monitor believes such a reduced budget will not enable the sheriff to comply with the consent decree, Shoob said.

“The county defendants should be aware that it is their obligation to budget sufficient funds to enable the sheriff to comply with all requirements set out in the consent decree,” Shoob wrote. “This obligation is unconditional.”

“Holding people in jail is expensive and the judge is making it clear there’s no way around that,” said Lisa Kung, director of the Southern Center for Human Rights.

Kung said ways costs could be cut if the jail were not a “dumping ground” for people with mental health issues and for those who commit “poverty crimes.” There also should be a way to streamline procedures so detainees can more quickly post bond and be released, she said.