In the Superior Court of Fulton County, Judge Scott McAfee has released his decision in reference to Sheriff Patrick Labat’s intention to transfer a number of people incarcerated in Fulton County to out-of-state facilities. The court ruled in favor of the case led by Atlanta Judicial Circuit Public Defender Maurice Kenner. In light of this ruling, Color Of Change released the following statement from Michael Collins, Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs:
“It is no secret that the conditions in the Fulton County Jail are abhorrent, and often deadly. The system is dangerously overcrowded, and decision-makers like Sheriff Labat continually depend on temporary quick fixes that compromise the humanity of those incarcerated in Atlanta. Transferring people to out of state facilities separates them from family and from their homes, and there is no promise that these out of state facilities will be any better than the one they are currently in. The solution to the jail’s overcrowding problem is decarceration, not transfers and not a new $2 billion jail. Color Of Change applauds Judge McAfee’s decision in this case, and we commend Public Defender Kenner for pursuing this just ruling.”
“On September 18th, in partnership with the Southern Center for Human Rights, Color Of Change penned a letter to the Fulton Board of Commissioners, urging the Board to reconsider their plan to transfer people incarcerated in Fulton County out of the Metro Atlanta area. The court’s ruling in this case is one in favor of the humanity of those incarcerated in Atlanta, and one that demands immediate further action. Color Of Change urges Sheriff Labat, alongside District Attorney Fani Willis and Solicitor General Keith Gammage, to focus their efforts on decarceration, as this is the only long-term systemic solution to the county’s overwhelmed criminal legal system.”
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