Fulton County approves $1.3 billion jail overhaul as Mo Ivory raises concerns over inmate transfer plans
Fulton County leaders have approved a sweeping $1.3 billion plan to overhaul the troubled Fulton County Jail, marking what officials call a "historic step forward," but the move is already drawing political pushback and raising new questions about how the county plans to handle overcrowding in the meantime.
During a Wednesday meeting, the unanimously approved an inducement resolution to finance a major Jail Capital Improvement Program.
The plan includes building a new "special purpose facility" designed to house vulnerable populations - including detainees with mental and physical health needs - along with major renovations to the existing Rice Street jail.
County leaders say the investment is about improving safety and dignity.
"The approved plan balances the need to offer safe, humane and dignified conditions for detainees with fiscal responsibility for all taxpayers," Chairman Robb Pitts said in a statement.
Construction on the new facility is expected to begin in 2028, with a projected opening in 2031. Renovations to the current jail could stretch through 2035.
But shortly after the vote, Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory — who is also running for Commission Chair — issued a sharply worded response, citing concerns raised during public comment about a possible strategy to move inmates out of Fulton County.
According to Ivory, discussions included sending detainees to ICE detention centers or private prisons outside the county, including facilities in Irwin County, Texas, and Tennessee.
"This is not the first time I am hearing from the public before I am hearing from leadership," Ivory said. "And what I am hearing is deeply concerning."
Ivory argued that transferring inmates would not solve the root causes of overcrowding and could create new problems — including separating detainees from their families and legal support systems.
"Moving people out of Fulton County is not the same as reducing the jail population through reform," she said.
She also took aim at the broader jail expansion, questioning whether the proposed facility is being framed as something other than a traditional jail.
"Building a new facility… and trying to pretend it's something other than a new jail building, is disingenuous," Ivory said.
Hours after Ivory's statement, Fulton County officials issued a clarification, pushing back on the idea that the county is actively pursuing private jail options.
According to the county, leadership has explored "alternative detainee housing options," including private facilities, but emphasized that those are not the preferred path.
Instead, officials say the best options remain continuing to use the Atlanta City Detention Center or partnering with other metro Atlanta counties for additional space.
"There have been some allegations that the County is actively pursuing private jail options. These allegations are inaccurate," the county said in its response.
Officials point to more than $23 million in community-based mental health and substance use services in the 2026 budget, along with diversion programs and behavioral health crisis centers aimed at keeping people out of jail in the first place.
Still, with construction years away and overcrowding pressures continuing, the question of where inmates are housed - and how - is likely to remain a flashpoint in the race for Fulton County's next leadership.