We're trying. That's basically what outgoing Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman told a federal judge who ordered the law enforcement chief to explain his efforts to reform the jail, says the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Freeman told U.S. District Judge Marvin Shoob he should not be held in contempt for not reaching some court-ordered goals because falling short doesn't mean he's not trying.
The sheriff said he has been hampered in his efforts to hire more jail personnel and reduce prisoner populations by forces beyond his control, such as inadequate county funding, the number of prisoners being brought to jail, and the state’s not promptly receiving prisoners who have been convicted. Shoob has cited a “continuing pattern of neglect and mismanagement” and ordered Freeman to explain why he shouldn't be held in contempt. Freeman, who was defeated for re-election this summer after one term, must appear before Shoob on Sept. 8. The 2006 court order to fix the jail came after a inmate lawsuit saying the lockup was crowded, dirty, and dangerous.
Link: http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/atlanta/stories//2008/08/24/freeman_0824.html