Fulton County Jail

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Fulton County Jail
Fulton County Jail
Interactive map of Fulton County Jail
Location901 Rice Street
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates 33°46′44″N84°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
Warden Sheriff 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]

Contents

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-trial 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] In 2024, it was announced that the jail would be renovated rather than constructing a new facility. [14]

The third and fourth seasons of the docuseries 60 Days In were set at the Fulton County Jail. [15]

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. 1 2 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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. ↑ Pepalis, Bob (2024-06-17). "Fulton considers jail renovation instead of $2 billion replacement". Rough Draft Atlanta. Retrieved 2025-04-20.
  15. ↑ 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.
  16. ↑ Hanging the Peachtree Bandit: The True Tale of Atlanta's Infamous Frank DuPre Tom Hughes (2019) Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 162584946X, 9781625849465
  17. ↑ Queen, Jack (August 25, 2023). "Harrison Floyd remains in jail, says he can't afford private lawyer". Reuters . Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Rapper Playboi Carti arrested in Georgia after allegedly choking pregnant girlfriend, reports say". FOX 5 Atlanta. 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
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