Fulton County residents press commissioners to replace jail as county details repair and 'blitz' work

Dozens of residents asked the Fulton County Board of Commissioners to replace the county jail, citing violent incidents, structural failures and recurring safety risks, while county staff outlined ongoing repair work and operational metrics meant to reduce risk and improve capacity.

Public commenters described multiple violent incidents inside the jail and said aging infrastructure allowed weapons and sharp objects to be fashioned from the facility. “The jail needs to come down,” said Lucy A. Watts, who identified herself as the grandmother of a detention officer who was stabbed. Other speakers — including Walter Dismuke, Irma Watts and Derek Knighton — said corrections staff and inmates faced daily danger and urged commissioners to prioritize a new facility.

The appeals came during the meeting’s public‑comment period. County staff then briefed the board on a month‑by‑month operational scorecard and a “jail blitz” repair program intended to address immediate maintenance and security problems. Steve Naraki of the county strategy office said the average length of stay reported by the county was 44 days for February and explained why that number differs from a DOJ figure that has been reported as much higher: “We are counting any individual that has left the jail,” he said, whereas a DOJ snapshot reflects the current population and therefore skews higher.

County operations staff reported progress on an intensive repair program they call the blitz. The county said roughly 64% of planned housing‑unit work was complete and that work in a maximum‑security unit (7 North) was expected to finish and be inspected the day after the meeting, enabling movement of detainees and providing classification flexibility for the sheriff’s office. Joe (last name not specified at the meeting) and other operations staff said 201 beds were temporarily unavailable during active repairs but would be returned as phases finish.

Maintenance metrics presented to the board showed improvements in preventive work orders and a 10% reduction in the overall backlog since the prior month. The county reported a backlog of 1,501 open work orders as of March 13, and said 588 of those were in upcoming blitz areas and require detainee movement to complete. County staff described supply, contractor scheduling and specialized detention‑market lead times as the primary reasons some repairs remain open for weeks or months.

Board members and the public asked about the sources of tools and materials being used by detainees to damage fixtures, elevator reliability and plans to use vandal‑resistant materials in both short‑term renovations and any potential new facility. County staff said they had installed enhanced elevator door sensors that had reduced elevator outages in housing units and that they were planning harder, more durable finishes where possible. Staff also said a separate program to assess multiple jail buildings would produce a findings report, baseline cost estimates, and a priority mapping against life‑safety, security and regulatory categories by late April for future board consideration.

The board did not take a formal vote on a replacement plan at the meeting. Commissioners asked for added clarity in reports to the public about different methods of calculating average length of stay and asked county staff to provide the snapshot measure DOJ uses alongside the county’s existing measure so comparisons are clearer.

What’s next: County staff said they will deliver a facilities‑assessment report with cost estimates and a mapped priority scale in late April. The board directed staff to continue working with superior‑court partners to track pending cases and timelines that affect jail population and length of stay.