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Report Finds Persistent Overcrowding Drives Cascade of Problems at Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail

Loaded on March 1, 2026 by Chuck Sharman published in Prison Legal News March, 2026, page 22
Filed under: Overcrowding, Staffing, Pretrial Detention and Detainees, Bail/Pretrial Release, Indictment/Information. Location: Georgia.

by Chuck Sharman

Analyzing population data at the overcrowded Fulton County Jail (FCJ) in Atlanta, a report from the Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on January 27, 2026, found that detainees endure “a crisis with a cascade of public health and safety problems.” An …

 

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More from this issue:

  1. Like Prisoners, Most Jail Detainees Now Banned from Receiving Physical Mail, by Chuck Sharman
  2. Florida Sheriff Received $50,000 Donation from Jail Medical Contractor
  3. From the Editor, by Paul Wright
  4. Watchdog Blasts BOP for Failure to Treat Prisoner’s Preventable Cancer, by Chuck Sharman
  5. Colorado Lawmakers Approve Prison Bed Funding, Despite DOC Understaffing
  6. South Dakota Sobriety Program Participants Will No Longer Be Jailed for Non-Payment of Fees, by Chuck Sharman
  7. Eighth Circuit Rules Iowa Prisoner’s Adverse Summary Judgment Is Not a “Strike”, by Chuck Sharman
  8. Colorado Law Intended to Reduce Prison Population Hasn’t Improved Conditions, by Michael Thompson
  9. New York City Mayor Appoints Ex-Rikers Prisoner as Corrections Commissioner
  10. Washington State Guard’s Conviction Affirmed in Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Scheme, by David Reutter
  11. Georgia Grand Jury Scolds Augusta Jail for Overcrowding Days Before Violent Detainee Assault, by Chuck Sharman
  12. Ninth Circuit Affirms $3.84 Million Jury Verdict in Death of San Bernardino Jail Detainee from Acute Alcohol Withdrawal, by Sam Rutherford
  13. Leaked Video Footage Shows California Prison Guards Engaged in Retaliatory Assault, by Jo Ellen Nott
  14. Constitutional Challenge to Louisiana Prison “Farm Line” Granted Class Certification, by Chuck Sharman
  15. SCOTUS Sides with Federal Prisoner in Habeas Review Case, by Chuck Sharman
  16. Fourth Circuit Holds Federal Prisoner Does Not Earn First Step Act Time Credits While in Transit Between Prisons, by Matthew Clarke
  17. Report Finds Persistent Overcrowding Drives Cascade of Problems at Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail, by Chuck Sharman
  18. $6 Million Settlement with Washington DOC for Delayed Treatment That Let Prisoner’s Liver Cancer Become Fatal, by Chuck Sharman
  19. Sixth Circuit Revives Michigan Prisoner’s Challenge to Guard Tackle That Broke His Foot, by Chuck Sharman
  20. Southern Poverty Law Center Report Shows Culture of Abuse at Florida Prison, by Michael Thompson
  21. Jury Awards Over $9.5 Million for Oklahoma Jail Death, by Chuck Sharman
  22. Washington Appellate Court Uses Personal Restraint Petitions Mooted by Prisoners’ Transfers to Order Remedial Measures at Troubled Juvenile Lockup, by Chuck Sharman
  23. Alaska Prisoner’s Discipline for Violating Invalidated Rule Tossed, by Chuck Sharman
  24. Texas Prisoner Declared Innocent 70 Years After Execution, by Jo Ellen Nott
  25. Eighth Circuit Revives Case Against Guards Who Failed to Intervene As Chaplain Sexually Assaulted Arkansas Prisoner, by Michael Thompson
  26. $300,000 Class-Action Settlement at California Jail Includes Policy Changes; Agreements with Aramark and Wellpath Reached Confidentially, by Chuck Sharman
  27. Number of Narcan Doses Raises Drug Concerns at New Jersey Prisons
  28. Louisiana Prisoner Sustains Claim Against Prison Doctor for Allowing Assignment to “Field Duty” Despite Known Ankle Injury, by Chuck Sharman
  29. Two Detainees Captured After Escape from Southwest Georgia Jail
  30. Maryland Prisons Reel from Growing Number of Prisoner Deaths, by Jo Ellen Nott
  31. U.S. Jails Hold 52,000 Detainees for Nothing More than “Failure to Appear”, by Chuck Sharman
  32. Incarcerated Women Featured in True Crime Media Face Flood of Sexual Harassment, by Kwaneta Harris, Leigh Goodmark
  33. Missouri Judge Heavily Sanctions DOC for “Deliberate Disregard for the Authority of This Court” in Suit Over Prisoner’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
  34. Overcrowded State Mental Hospitals Lead to Longer Jail Time and Lack of Treatment, by Michael Thompson
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  39. Utah Pushes for Additional $130 Million to Expand Prison that Cost $1 Billion
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  42. U.S. Sentencing Commission Report Breaks Down Federal Contraband Sentences, by Chuck Sharman
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  44. Tenth Circuit Affirmed Denial of Guards Qualified Immunity in Disabled Detainee’s Fourteenth Amendment Claim, by David Reutter
  45. Missouri Pays $212M for Prison Health Care, But Prisoner Deaths Aren’t a Performance Measure, by Rudi Keller
  46. New Jersey Governor’s Order Allows People with Prior Felony Convictions to Serve on Jury Duty
  47. Minnesota Study Shows Disproportionate Rate of Health and Mental Problems for Recently Incarcerated, by Michael Thompson
  48. Eight Detainees Escape from Louisiana Jail, Captured in 24 Hours
  49. Maine Was the First State to Abolish Parole. Incarcerated Mainers, Advocates Hope to Bring it Back., by Emma Davis
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  63. News in Brief

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