600 inmates being moved out of Fulton County after complaints of overcrowding

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Hundreds of inmates will soon be moved out of the Fulton County Jail and into neighboring counties, the sheriff’s office announced Friday.

Channel 2 Action News has reported for months that the Fulton County Jail held several hundred inmates more than it has capacity for.

In October, Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne learned that more than 450 inmates were being forced to sleep on the ground because there were not enough beds in the jail.

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Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat requested the Atlanta City Council allow the sheriff’s office to rent out some of the nearly 1,300 unused beds at the Atlanta City Jail in October.

The sheriff’s office says moving these inmates will cost the department approximately $40,000 per day.

This move comes days after a family claimed their loved one, Lashawn Thompson, died inside the jail after being “eaten alive by bed bugs.”

RELATED STORIES:

• More than 450 Fulton County inmates sleeping on floor amid overcrowding woes
• Fulton sheriff begs to move inmates from overcrowded jail to Atlanta detention center
• Sheriff responds to claims inmate was eaten alive by bed bugs inside Fulton County Jail

The sheriff released a statement on Thursday saying they are completing a full investigation into Thompson’s death, including spending $500,000 to address the infestation of bed bugs, lice and more in the jail.

It is unclear when these inmates will be moved and which jails they will be taken to.

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IN OTHER NEWS:

Sheriff responds to claims inmate was eaten alive by bed bugs inside Fulton County Jail The family’s lawyer is calling for a criminal investigation and for a new Fulton County Jail to be built.

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