ATLANTA — Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved a proposal Wednesday to revitalize the troubled Rice Street Jail and create an additional center for special inmate populations.
The proposal was approved 4-1-1.
As Channel 2 Action News reported Monday, the proposal to renovate the existing jail and build a new special purpose facility will cost nearly $1.25 billion.
The proposal was championed by Board Chairman Robb Pitts and was approved despite a push for a new jail.
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The new Special Purpose Building is designed to serve vulnerable populations and offset the future need for outsourcing of inmates to out-of-county jail facilities, according to the proposal.
The vote comes amid concerns about the crumbling facility. A report by the Department of Justice last year said the condition of the jail violates the civil rights of the people incarcerated within.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office agreed with the DOJ to a “court-enforceable” consent order in January.
As Channel 2 reported, an investigation into civil rights violations at the Rice Street Jail began in July 2023, in the wake of inmate LaShawn Thompson’s death due to “severe neglect” and an infestation of bed bugs in his cell, as well as multiple other incidents at the facility.
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