The Fulton County Jail, also referred to as Rice Street, is a prison in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. It was built to hold up to 1,125 prisoners in 1989 but now houses over 3,000.The real behind the wall: A look inside the infamous, deadly Fulton County Jail
article in Atlanta magazine, by George Chidi, 15 July 2023 The US Department of Justice found in 2024 that conditions in the jail were unconstitutionally "inhumane, violent and hazardous". Fulton County jail holds both people in pre-trial detention and people who have been convicted and sentenced. The prison is administered by Fulton County.

History

The original Fulton County Jail was constructed in 1904 on Pryor Street in downtown Atlanta with a capacity of 400 people. The current facility was built in 1989 at 901 Rice Street. A former Fulton County jailer was remanded to prison himself in 2012 on charges of accepting bribes of more than $26,000 to distribute drugs inside the jail. In September 2022, 35-year-old inmate Mr. Lashawn Thompson died in his cell three months after being arrested kept in

pre-trial detention Pre-trial detention, also known as jail, preventive detention, provisional detention, or remand, is the process of detaining a person until their trial after they have been arrested and charged with an offence. A person who is on remand is ...

for a misdemeanor. His death was considered due to neglect and his family was compensated $4 million. The county sheriff, Patrick Labat, fired three jailers after the scandal. The jail received media attention from the August 24, 2023 mug shot booking of former president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. In November, 2024 the Department of Justice reported that Fulton County Jail violated constitutional and statutory rights of prisoners, and that prisoners were vulnerable to serious harm from conditions in the prison. In December, 2024 a

class action lawsuit A class action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage R ...

was filed against Sheriff Patrick Labat over conditions in the jail. Plaintiffs in the suit include defendants from the YSL RICO trial, and seek a

court injunction An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a special court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. It was developed by the English courts of equity but its origins go back to Roman law and the equitable remed ...

requiring the sheriff to improve conditions at the jail. In 2024, it was announced that the jail would be renovated rather than constructing a new facility.

In popular culture

The third and fourth seasons of the

docuseries Television documentaries are televised media productions that screen documentaries. Television documentaries exist either as a television documentary series or as a television documentary film. * Television documentary series, sometimes called d ...

60 Days In ''60 Days In'' is a reality television series on A&E in which volunteers are incarcerated as undercover prisoners for 60 days. Internationally, it is known as ''The Jail: 60 Days In'' and airs in over 100 other countries. The show premiered ...

'' were set at the Fulton County Jail.

Notable inmates

* Frank Dupre, jewelry store robber * Harrison Floyd, director of Black Voices for Trump *

Scarface Scarface may refer to: Gangster-related * Scarface, nickname for Al Capone (1899–1947), an American gangster and a businessman. * ''Scarface'' (novel), a novel by Armitage Trail, loosely based on Capone's rise to power ** ''Scarface'' (1932 ...

, rapper and record producer *

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

, record producer *

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream a ...

, rapper and record executive *

Katt Williams Micah "Katt" Williams (born September 2, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Money Mike in '' Friday After Next'', was a recurring guest on '' Wild 'n Out'', portrayed Bobby Shaw in '' My Wife and Kids'', provided the vo ...

, comedian *

Wayne Williams Wayne Bertram Williams (born May 27, 1958) is an American convicted murderer and suspected serial killer who is in life imprisonment for the 1981 killings of two men in Atlanta, Georgia. Although never tried for the additional murders, he is als ...

, convicted murderer *

Playboi Carti Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1995, or 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern Hip hop music, hip hop a ...

, rapper *

King Von Dayvon Daquan Bennett (August 9, 1994 – November 6, 2020), known professionally as King Von, was an American rapper and gangster from Chicago, Illinois, who was affiliated with the Black Disciples gang. He was considered a preeminent figure ...

, rapper *

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper. Regarded as a pioneering artist in the Chicago-based hip-hop subgenre drill music, he is often considered the subgenre's most commercially suc ...

, rapper *

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams II (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper. Known for his eccentric vocal style and fashion, he is considered an influential figure in modern hip hop music, hip hop and trap music ...

, rapper

References

External links

Image of old Fulton County Jail in the 1930s
{{Atlanta Government buildings in Georgia (U.S. state) Jails in Georgia (U.S. state) 1980s establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures in Atlanta