Fulton County Jail Monitoring Team

In January 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia agreed to a proposed Consent Decree with Fulton County and the Fulton County Sheriff.  The Consent Decree is an agreement that outlines steps Fulton County and the Fulton County Sheriff must take to address conditions of confinement at the Fulton County Jail that violate the 8th and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

The Consent Decree requires Fulton County and Fulton County Sheriff to, among other things:

• Implement plans and policies to keep incarcerated people safe from violence; 
• Improve supervision and staffing;
• Keep doors and locks in working order; 
• Require staff to use force in line with constitutional standards; 
• Take steps to protect incarcerated people at risk of suicide and to ensure that incarcerated people receive adequate medical and mental health care;
• Develop and implement a comprehensive housekeeping plan and pest management system to keep the jail facilities clean, sanitary, and free of pests; 
• Stop housing vulnerable people in isolation who are at substantial risk of self-harm or other negative mental health outcomes, absent specific and significant protections; and
• Facilitate the provision of adequate special education services to children with disabilities in the jail facilities.

In February 2025, the federal court judge overseeing the Consent Decree appointed Kathleen Kenney to serve as the monitor responsible for assessing its implementation.  Monitor Kenney will issue public reports on progress every six months and will use this website to share the reports and other public filings associated with the Consent Decree.  Community members will also be able to use this website to share information with Monitor Kenney regarding implementation of the Consent Decree and conditions in the Fulton County jail facilities.