The sheriff in a Georgia county where prison conditions have led to a federal civil rights investigation criticized a decision not to move forward with plans for a new jail, calling the vote “shortsighted” on Friday.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday voted 4-3 to approve a request for proposals to assess jail facilities, recommend renovations and provide an estimate for a future special purpose building. The U.S. Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation last year over longstanding problems with jail conditions in the county.
“This project is really putting a Band-Aid on open-heart surgery,” Sheriff Pat Labat, who has pushed aggressively for a new jail, told reporters Friday.
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