Georgia sheriff laments scrapped jail plans in county under federal civil rights investigation

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia sheriff says officials made a shortsighted decision not build a new jail in a county where conditions for prisoners have led to a federal civil rights investigation. The sheriff says Friday that nearly 15,000 work orders have been filed since May 2023 for the out-of-date building. Fulton County commissioners instead approved a request for proposals to assess the jail facilities, recommend renovations and provide an estimate for a future special purpose building. The U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation last year over longstanding problems with jail conditions in the county. Civil rights groups and advocates for prisoners applauded the county’s new direction on the jail.