ATLANTA -- The chairman of the Fulton County Commission suggested Monday that bad management - not inadequate funding - is to blame for the recent inadvertent releases of three prisoners from the Fulton jail.

Karen Handel made her comments even as Sheriff Jackie Barrett was planning to temporarily send some inmates to other counties after declaring a "state of emergency" at the county jail.

"To simply stand up and every time an inmate escapes to cry 'Oh I need more money'" is unacceptable," Handel said, adding that Barrett needs to "lay on the table what the real issues are and what is the proposal to address them."

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The Fulton County Jail has seen a number of problems recently, including an escape Friday and the unintentional release of two suspects earlier in the week.

Barrett is expected to announce that sheriffs in other counties will offer cells to house Fulton County inmates, said Barrett spokesman Lt. Clarence Huber.

Huber said Clayton and DeKalb counties have agreed to help, but Clayton officials could not confirm arrangements. Mikki Jones, a spokeswoman for DeKalb Sheriff Thomas Brown, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution no official talks had been held.

Barrett declared the emergency condition after Friday's escape by Ulycees Johnson, 27. Johnson and all the earlier escapees were recaptured.

Among the prisoners mistakenly released was one accused of committing rape while on the loose. The two released last week were recaptured within days.

Huber said Barrett believes overcrowding is one of the reasons for the jail's problems in the last year, during which at least eight inmates have been mistakenly released. The jail has 2,900 inmates, 700 more than its official capacity.

One of the reasons for the rising workload, Huber said, is the city of Atlanta's decision to shift cases involving violations of state law to the county court system. That has meant more work for the jail since January 2003. In that time, the number of prisoners booked at the jail increased 24 percent, Huber said.

And while Barrett fired three employees and announced a "zero tolerance" policy for staff mistakes after the latest accidental releases, in a statement Saturday she said budget cuts play a large role in the jail's problems.

More than 180 jobs have been cut at the jail to trim the budget in the last two years, according to the Sheriff's Department.

But Handel called Barrett's funding claims a "deft political maneuver" to deflect attention from another escape.

"Every time an elected official gets in trouble for not doing their job well, they claim they don't have enough money," Handel said.

Handel said the budget for Barrett has grown from $74 million in 2001 to $81 million this year.

"I am absolutely convinced this is not a money issue," Handel said.

Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin said Sunday she would be skeptical of any effort to ask the city for more money to support the county jail. City property owners already support the jail through county taxes, she said.

Franklin also noted the city lost $11 million a year in sales tax money shared among the county and its 10 cities in part because Fulton officials wanted to keep a larger share to pay for the jail and other services.

Channel 2 Action News reporter Carrie Edwards contributed to this report.