FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County leaders passed a resolution Wednesday that now requires monthly check-ins on the conditions and welfare of inmates inside the embattled jail.
The Fulton County Jail has been the focus of intensified concerns after an inmate, Lashawn Thompson, was found dead inside his cell last September covered in sores and bites from bed bugs, lice and other insects -- and having died from what an autopsy determined was "severe neglect" and a lack of medication for his diagnosed schizophrenia.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners passed the resolution by a majority vote of 4 to 2 with one abstention.
“Accountability to taxpayers is my chief concern,” said Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman, who drafted the resolution. “The requirement of regular monthly updates not only allows us to monitor the progress being made on issues regarding personnel, jail conditions, medical care, building maintenance, and the utilization of Fulton County Jail facilities, but it also enables us to keep citizens apprised of developments.”
Beginning in July, the board of commissioners will receive monthly updates from the county manager and Fulton County Sheriff Patrick "Pat" Labat, where the two will provide information regarding jail conditions, the welfare of inmates, jail staffing, and the population of the jail as it relates to its overall capacity, a press release said.
The resolution itself says the physical population at the jail be checked at not only the Fulton County Jail, but also the Marietta Annex, Alpharetta Jail, Union City Jail, and Atlanta City Detention Center in addition to Fulton residents housed outside of current county-owned facilities.
The resolution also cites the increased public interest among "residents, the media, concerned citizens, and the general public" as a reason monthly updates are now in effect.
"Operations of the Fulton County Jail facilities impact the health, safety, and welfare of thousands of inmates and their families, employees and their families, residents, visitors, and businesses in Fulton County and beyond," the resolution reads.