Initiative Seeks To Reduce Fulton Jail Population

JOHNS CREEK, GA -- Last week, the Fulton County Commission gave the green light to spend $1.2 million of $2.5 million set aside for its newly-approved Justice Reinvestment Initiative.

The program seeks to reduce the population of the Fulton County Jail while also rolling out new procedures to streamline the process of adjudicating court cases and reducing recidivism.

A newly chartered Justice Coordinating Committee will work to achieve the following expected outcomes of the new initiative:

• Timely processing of cases;
• Individual convicted of committing criminal acts are held accountable and have a low rate of committing new offenses;
• Humane and appropriate treatment for those diagnosed as mentally ill;
• Fair treatment for all who interact with the justice system; and
• Savings of $4 to 8 million, which would be available for continued support of the Reinvestment Initiative.

Key elements of the initiative include increasing the number of participants in State Court’s DUI Court; reducing case backlogs in Superior Court, Magistrate Court and the Solicitor General’s Officer; expanding the number of partners in Juvenile Court programs; and reconciling duplicate records in the Superior Court Clerk’s E-File records program.

The Criminal Justice Reinvestment Initiative continues improvements made by the county over the past 10 years. The justice system has implemented a series of reforms including improved case management, monitoring of inmates awaiting trial, competency restoration programs, and anti-recidivism efforts.

These efforts have made a significant impact, helping to reduce the jail’s average daily population by nearly 20 percent, from 3,097 inmates in 2005 to 2,505 inmates in 2014.

Over the same period of time, both violent and property crime rates dropped by 6.3 percent and 9.1 percent, respectively.

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