New plan set for Inmate Welfare Fund at Fulton County Jail

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The controversial Inmate Welfare Fund at the Fulton County Jail is getting an overhaul after Channel 2 Action News exposed misspending.

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Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts is introducing a new ordinance Wednesday at the full commission meeting.

The ordinance would take control of the account away from Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat and put the money into the general county fund, controlled by commissioners.

Labat told Channel 2 investigative reporter Sophia Choi, that he’s open to the discussion saying, “There’s an opportunity to polish this legislation.”

The money comes from commissions the county makes off inmate commissary sales and their phone calls.

Through an open records request, Channel 2 Action News learned the account had $7,739,779 when the sheriff first took office in 2020. It now has $6,312,103.

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The sheriff told Channel 2 Action News a few employees, with no criminal intent, misspent some of the money.

Our investigation showed hundreds of thousands used for vehicles, gift cards, and flowers.

“I would say that 95% of the spending (has) nothing to do with the welfare of the inmate,” Pitts told Choi.

Pitts said he’d like to use the money for inmate education or a price break on the commissary items they buy.

But Labat told Choi he’d like to keep some of the money from the Inmate Welfare Fund for emergencies.

“Especially after a decades-old building that’s in need of such repair causes such emergencies. We just need to have access to the funds,” Labat said.

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Pitts said he would consider leaving some of the funds for the sheriff to use for emergencies. He recounted a conversation he had with the sheriff.

“I said give me a proposal and I’ll consider it. He said, maybe we could put, let’s say a million dollars, in that account,” Pitts said.

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