ATLANTA — Inmate population at Fulton County’s troubled Rice Street jail has plummeted in recent weeks, according to Sheriff Pat Labat.
Labat said there are fewer inmates at the Fulton County Jail now than there have been in two years as the county relocates almost 1,000 inmates.
Fulton County has successfully moved inmates from the jail to other facilities in Cobb, Forsyth and Oconee counties. The sheriff also added that some inmates were also moved to Alpharetta’s and South Fulton’s jails.
Rice Street lockup had 3,069 inmates at its January 2021 peak during COVID. The jail now has 2,077 as of Sunday night.
“So the more people we can outsource to other facilities, it really reduces the population here. We also are looking at aspects of reducing the population overall,” the sheriff said.
Labat announced plans to work with prosecutors, public defenders, and judges to release more inmates awaiting trial to reduce the overall population.
The Fulton County jail was built 34 years ago with a capacity of 1,125—its current population is still almost double the capacity amount.
Due to jail overcrowding, hundreds of inmates have been forced to sleep temporarily on floor mattresses. At its most crowded, Labat said 560 inmates occupied floor space. In recent weeks dramatic drop, 51 inmates were on the floor space as of Sunday.
“When you get five hundred people off the floor and out of common areas, you create an environment, a more safe environment. You can put people behind doors, in the cells,” Labat said.
Recently, the Biden administration sent U.S. Department of Justice investigators into the Fulton County Jail. Labat said he expects them to produce a report on their findings within the next year or longer.