ACLU warns of deadly overcrowding at Fulton County Jail

Name: ACLU details deadly impact of overcrowding at Fulton Co. jail
Uploaded: 2026-02-03T14:42:33-05:00
Description: The ACLU held a press conference on Tuesday morning to talk about overcrowding at the Fulton County Jail, which they said has lead to deadly consequences. Aungelique Proctor reporting.

ACLU details deadly impact of overcrowding at Fulton Co. jail

The ACLU held a press conference on Tuesday morning to talk about overcrowding at the Fulton County Jail, which they said has lead to deadly consequences. Aungelique Proctor reporting.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - The ACLU of Georgia is calling conditions inside the Fulton County Jail inhumane and dangerous, citing chronic overcrowding and dozens of deaths in custody since 2021 in a new report released at midday.

What they're saying:

The report, the group’s third focused on the Rice Street jail, examines conditions in 2025 and says the jail population rose about 20% during the first seven months of last year, while four people died in custody during that same period.

The ACLU argues overcrowding is the core driver of the crisis, noting that Black people remain significantly overrepresented and that a growing share of detainees are held on misdemeanor charges, often for weeks or months, because they cannot afford even minimal bond.

"Criminalization of misdemeanors is about the criminalization of vulnerability. It often looks like taking our sickest most marginalized community members and leaving them in worst health and circumstances, and when they entered," Shubha Verma, senior fellow.

Advocacy groups, including the Community Over Cages Coalition and PlayFair Atlanta, are urging systemic changes involving police, prosecutors and judges to reduce incarceration.

"A 2025 snapshot of the Fulton County Jail shows 7.3% of people in custody, less than 184 individuals were locked up only on charges eligible for diversion. This includes 111 people held on diversional misdemeanors," Robyn Hasan-Simpson, executive director for Women on the Rise.

They also raised concerns ahead of the FIFA World Cup, warning that visitors could be exposed to what they described as unsafe jail conditions. Sheriff Patrick Labat has previously said a new jail facility is needed, though funding for one has not been approved.

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