Fulton County Chief Judges Deny “Turnstile” Justice System

June 11th, 2013

A recent murder in East Atlanta caused some residents to question the city’s commitment to fighting crime. Mayor Kasim Reed accepted responsibility, but also criticized the Fulton County Jail and judicial system for releasing repeat offenders too soon. Hear the audio version of this story.

“We have a major problem in the city of Atlanta with a turnstile jail and releasing people who’ve been arrested 20, 30, 40 times,” Reed said.

Reed said a recent Atlanta police department report indicated the court system is often too soft on repeat offenders. Fulton County Superior Court Chief Judge Cynthia Wright disagrees with the mayor’s characterization.

“I think that he’s getting some information that’s not correct,” Wright says, “Our jail is full of violent people charged with violent felonies and they are usually sitting in jail until they are tried.”

That is echoed by Fulton County State Court Chief Judge John Mather.

“The last meeting I was at people are staying in jail longer,” Mather says, “Yes, people are getting out of jail on bond, but we’re doing what we can. It’s not the turnstile system of justice that I’ve heard it described as.”

Wright says she plans to meet with the mayor again soon to discuss his concerns.