Atlanta, Georgia

The Fulton County Jail is in a state of crisis. The county jails its residents at a rate nearly three times that of other urban counties, contributing to an overcrowding crisis. Fulton County officials blame overcrowding for incarcerated people living in inhumane conditions, which have contributed to more than 20 jail deaths between 2022 and 2023. The Fulton County Jail is now under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Fulton County officials have proposed several measures to alleviate the overcrowding crisis. The Fulton County Board of Commissioners is poised to move forward with the building of a new $2 billion jail. In the interim, they are considering a request by the Sheriff to move hundreds of incarcerated people to two private prisons hundreds of miles away from the city — a decision that will undoubtedly damage relationships with their families and deny them the effective assistance of counsel.

On September 7, 2023, Color of Change penned a letter to District Attorney Fani Willis and Solicitor General Keith Gammage, the felony and misdemeanor prosecutors in Fulton County. These letters highlighted the important role their offices can play in alleviating overcrowding at the jail. 

Separately, on September 18, 2023, Color of Change and the Southern Center for Human Rights penned a joint letter to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners urging them to reconsider the proposal to transfer people incarcerated in Fulton County outside of metropolitan Atlanta. 

On October 18, 2023, at the Fulton County Board of Commissioners meeting, Color of Change received confirmation of a jail population reduction of 263 people between September and October. Going forward, we will continue to apply pressure to reduce the use of cash bail and clear the county’s backlog of cases to reduce the jail population further.