Fulton County said in a public statement that it has reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to resolve an investigation into the Fulton County Jail through a consent decree that was presented to the court today, and that the county has committed up to $300,000,000 for facility improvements, a county staff member said.

The county said the board of commissioners and county administration will collaborate with the Department of Justice, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and other partners to implement the terms of the agreement. The county detailed ongoing repairs at the Rice Street facility, a separate allocation for critical repairs, and programs intended to reduce the jail population.

County officials cited several current and planned steps to address the physical plant and management issues identified in the DOJ review: the 2024 commitment to invest up to $300,000,000 in jail facility improvements; approval of a contract with a project manager to begin a facility assessment; a $13,000,000 “blitz” repair program at Rice Street begun in 2023 and described as on track to finish in the next 90 days; and a $3,200,000 allocation in August for upgrades that included fire alarms, kitchen and laundry equipment replacements, and elevator modernization. The county said the blitz repairs include replacing lights, repairing cell doors and locks, resurfacing walls and showers, repairing plumbing, repainting, resealing concrete walls and replacing damaged pipe chase doors and locks.

The county also said it is working with justice partners on programs intended to limit jail populations, including an ankle monitor program, funding for a new diversion center with the City of Atlanta and expanded accountability courts.

"The problems at the Fulton County Jail did not arise in a day and will not be fixed in a day. But I am determined that they will be fixed," the staff member said. The same speaker added, "The majority of their findings relate to the management of the jail, and not the physical plant for which Fulton County government is responsible for." The speaker also said, "neither the DOJ investigation nor the consent decree call for a new $2,000,000,000 jail."

The county said the project manager is beginning the facility assessment and that staff, the sheriff’s office and the Department of Justice will coordinate implementation steps; the statement did not specify a timetable for full compliance with the consent decree or the total cost beyond the $300,000,000 commitment.