Judge rejects petition to stop Fulton inmates from being transferred out of state. But there's a caveat

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office said Atlanta police are investigating, Thursday, April 4, 2024 after a man being held at the county jail, which is under federal investigation, was stabbed to death by another detainee. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office is back to the drawing board after a recent ruling concluded that it is illegal to move inmates out of state to relieve jail overcrowding.

The plan called for sending up to 1,000 inmates from the Fulton County Jail to either a private prison in Mississippi or an immigration detention center in south Georgia.

But in September, Atlanta Judicial Circuit Public Defender Maurice Kenner filed an emergency petition to stop the transfer.