Fulton County Jail

This article is about the current jail in Georgia. For the historic jail in New York, see Fulton County Jail (Johnstown, New York).
Fulton County Jail
Location901 Rice Street
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates33°46′44″N 84°25′25″W / 33.77889°N 84.42361°W / 33.77889; -84.42361
StatusOperational
Capacity1,125
Population3,000 (as of 2023)
Opened1989
Managed byFulton County Sheriff's Office
WardenSheriff Patrick Labat
Street address901 Rice Street
CityAtlanta
CountyFulton County
State/provinceGeorgia
CountryUnited States

The Fulton County Jail, also referred to as Rice Street,[1] is a prison in Atlanta, Georgia. It was built to hold up to 1,125 prisoners in 1989 but now houses over 3,000.[2] The US Department of Justice found in 2024 that conditions in the jail were unconstitutionally "inhumane, violent and hazardous".[3]

Fulton County jail holds both people in pre-trial detention and people who have been convicted and sentenced.[4] The prison is administered by Fulton County.

History

The original Fulton County Jail was constructed in 1904 on Pryor Street in downtown Atlanta with a capacity of 400 people.[5]

The current facility was built in 1989 at 901 Rice Street.[6]

A former Fulton County jailer was remanded to prison himself in 2012 on charges of accepting bribes of more than $26,000 to distribute drugs inside the jail.[7]

In September 2022, 35-year-old inmate Mr. Lashawn Thompson died in his cell three months after being arrested kept in pre-trail detention for a misdemeanor.[2][8] His death was considered due to neglect and his family was compensated $4 million.[9] The county sheriff, Patrick Labat, fired three jailers after the scandal.[10]


The jail received media attention from the August 24, 2023 mug shot booking of former president Donald Trump.[11]

In November, 2024 the Department of Justice reported that Fulton County Jail violated constitutional and statutory rights of prisoners, and that prisoners were vulnerable to serious harm from conditions in the prison.[12][13] In December, 2024 a class action lawsuit was filed against Sheriff Patrick Labat over conditions in the jail. Plaintiffs in the suit include defendants from the YSL RICO trial, and seek a court injunction requiring the sheriff to improve conditions at the jail.[3]

The third and fourth seasons of the docuseries 60 Days In were set at the Fulton County Jail.[14]

Notable inmates

References

  1. ^ Sommerlad, Joe (August 17, 2023). "Inside Fulton County jail where Donald Trump and 18 allies will be booked over Georgia election plot". The Independent. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  2. ^ a b The real behind the wall: A look inside the infamous, deadly Fulton County Jail, article in Atlanta magazine, by George Chidi, 15 July 2023
  3. ^ a b "YSL RICO trial defendant among those suing over Fulton County Jail conditions". 11Alive.com. 2024-12-12. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  4. ^ "Fulton County Jail GA". fultoncountygajail.org. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  5. ^ "Fulton County Jail, GA History". fultoncountyjail.org. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Robledo, Anthony (August 24, 2023). "From songs to famous inmates and a riot. What to know about Fulton County Jail after Trump's booking". USA Today. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  7. ^ FBI Atlanta: Former Fulton County Detention Officer Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison, 2012 press release from the FBI Atlanta division
  8. ^ Administrator, Vanguard (2023-08-04). "Guest Commentary: The Deadly and Tragic Costs of Pretrial Detention". Davis Vanguard. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
  9. ^ Fulton County commissioners reach settlement in death of inmate 'eaten alive by bedbugs', article by Fox 5 Atlanta, 3 August 2023
  10. ^ Sheriff accepts resignation of key leadership at Fulton County Jail, Fox 5 Atlanta newstory, 17 April 2023
  11. ^ August 2023 press release for the Trump mugshot booking, by the Fulton County, Georgia Sheriff's Office
  12. ^ Legare, Robert (2024-11-14). "Scathing Justice Dept report says Georgia jail left inmates vulnerable to dangerous conditions - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  13. ^ Dept of Justice (Nov 2024). "Investigation of the Fulton County Jail".
  14. ^ Schneider, Michael (January 30, 2017). "'60 Days In' Returns for Two More Seasons, But Moves to An Even More Dangerous Jail". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  15. ^ Hanging the Peachtree Bandit: The True Tale of Atlanta's Infamous Frank DuPre Tom Hughes (2019) Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 162584946X, 9781625849465
  16. ^ Queen, Jack (August 25, 2023). "Harrison Floyd remains in jail, says he can't afford private lawyer". Reuters. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  17. ^ "Rapper Playboi Carti arrested in Georgia after allegedly choking pregnant girlfriend, reports say". FOX 5 Atlanta. 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-09-08.