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| Fulton County, Ga., to send inmates to other counties |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/15/2004 |
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Fulton County (Ga.) Sheriff Jackie Barrett plans to temporarily send some inmates to other counties after declaring a ''state of emergency'' at the county jail. The Fulton County Jail has seen a number of problems recently, including an escape March 5 and the unintentional release of two suspects earlier that week. Barrett is expected to announce that sheriffs in other counties will offer cells to house Fulton County inmates, said Barrett spokesman Lt. Clarence Huber. Huber said Clayton and DeKalb counties have agreed to help, but Clayton officials could not confirm arrangements. Mikki Jones, a spokeswoman for DeKalb Sheriff Thomas Brown, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution no official talks had been held. Barrett declared the emergency condition after the escape by Ulycees Johnson, 27. Johnson and all the earlier escapees were recaptured. Among the prisoners mistakenly released was one accused of committing rape while on the loose. The two released two weeks ago were recaptured within days. Huber said Barrett believes overcrowding is one of the reasons for the jail's problems in the last year, during which at least eight inmates have been mistakenly released. The jail has 2,900 inmates, 700 more than its official capacity. One of the reasons for the rising workload, Huber said, is the city of Atlanta's decision to shift cases involving violations of state law to the county court system. That has meant more work for the jail since January 2003. In that time, the number of prisoners booked at the jail increased 24 percent, Huber said. And while Barrett fired three employees and announced a ''zero tolerance'' policy for staff mistakes after the latest accidental releases, in a statement March 6 she said budget cuts play a large role in the jail's problems. More than 180 jobs have been cut at the jail to trim the budget in the last two years, according to the Sheriff's Department. |
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