Fulton County, Georgia – Fulton County authorities say that the Fulton County Jail is making measurable progress one year after signing a federal Consent Decree with the U.S. Department of Justice.
The agreement was meant to address long-standing concerns about the circumstances within the facility. It has led to a lot of spending and structural modifications that are meant to make detainees safer, better staffed, and have better basic living conditions.
County administrators say that 2025 was a big year for funding for those changes, with $12.8 million going directly to work connected to the Consent Decree. Those funding helped pay for better security, more staff, repairs to the building, and more medical treatment for detainees.
The county’s 2026 budget shows an even bigger drive for the future. More than $50 million has been set aside to tackle issues identified by the federal monitor overseeing the jail’s compliance. $16.7 million of that amount is set aside for hiring and staffing incentives. This is because a lack of staff has been a major problem for the institution.
The county’s investment has expanded a lot when you look at the bigger financial picture. The General Fund sets aside $233.7 million for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and jail-related costs in 2026. Just five years ago, that number was $132.6 million. The rise shows how important jail reform has become in the county’s budget planning.
There have been a number of real improvements made to the building in the last year. Fire alarms, kitchen appliances, and laundry machines are just some of the major systems that have been replaced. Officials called the repairs to eleven resident housing units “blitz” updates, which means they were done quickly to fix maintenance and infrastructure problems. Also, the jail’s backlog of work orders has gone down by 36%, which has made it easier for repairs that were needed to wait a long time.
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Staffing has always been a primary problem. The county hired a specialized recruitment service to assist fill open positions in the jail, and sworn jail workers got pay raises. Contract workers were also hired to help with civilian tower operations. The detainee medical services contract was made stronger, and security got better through assessments and the addition of specialized equipment.
County authorities indicate that the Sheriff’s Office, the independent jail monitor, and the administration of Fulton County will keep working together. The goal remains to fully follow the Consent Decree, which will make the Fulton County Jail a safer and more stable place to be.
