Half-empty Cobb jail takes inmates from overcrowded Fulton facility
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Nov. 19—Cobb County's half-empty detention center is housing about 100 detainees on behalf of the Fulton County jail, according to a spokesperson for the Cobb Sheriff's Office.
The detainees were transferred to the Cobb County Adult Detention Center last week, according to Sgt. Jeremy Blake, the office's spokesperson. Fulton is paying the Cobb Sheriff's Office $80 per day, per inmate.
"A top priority for me is ensuring humane conditions for persons in our care and control," Fulton Sheriff Patrick Labat said in a statement this week, adding the move was "a huge step in getting our detainees off the floor."
This spring, the two first-term sheriffs reached a deal to house up to 500 Fulton inmates at the Cobb jail to alleviate overcrowding at Fulton's jail.
Those currently housed at the Cobb jail "have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and are classified as nonviolent offenders," Labat said.
The Cobb jail can house up to 3,200 inmates. As of Thursday, the jail's population stood at roughly 1,450 inmates, according to Blake.
