Fulton proposes to renovate Rice Street jail, build mental health facility

• That probe was opened after Lashawn Thompson, a detainee battling mental illness, was found dead and covered in bug bites inside a cell in September 2022.
• The county settled a $4 million lawsuit brought by Thompson's family.

The latest: Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said at a press conference Monday that his colleagues will consider a plan that would build a 3,200-bed facility and make major improvements to Rice Street for $1.1 billion.

• Pitts, who said the project would be funded with revenue from tax allocation districts, said the new building would be part of the county's investment in diversion programs and mental health services.
• He said between 40% and 70% of Fulton detainees experience those issues.
• "We need to come up with programs to keep people out of jail, versus building a jail just to accommodate people," Pitts said. "And we're headed in the right direction."

Zoom in: Pitts estimates it would take about five years to build the special purpose facility, which would be on the same site and staffed by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office.

• Pitts envisions the county using the new facility to house some detainees while Rice Street undergoes renovations.

Yes, but: Pitts' plan was met with skepticism from activists who've opposed any plan that would build a new jail.

• Devin Barrington-Ward, a member of the Community Over Cages Coalition, said following Pitts' press conference that the county should focus on moving court cases through the system quicker, which would reduce the time detainees who can't afford bail would have to spend in jail.
• He also said more police officers should utilize the Center for Diversion and Services, which allows people who are arrested for low-level offenses to get help with housing, mental health and substance abuse issues instead of going to jail.
• Devin Franklin, senior movement policy counsel with the Southern Center for Human Rights, who also spoke to reporters after Pitts' remarks, said adding more beds for the sheriff's office to use for detainees "does not address those concerns that have been the center of our opposition."

What's next: The proposal will be on the agenda at the Board of Commissioners' meeting, which begins at 10am Wednesday.