49 days versus 198: Why two jail-stay averages tell different stories

Fulton County’s October jail-stay scorecard reports a 49-day average. For people still in custody on November 4, the county reports a very different figure: an average of 198 days already spent in jail.⁠[1]

The distinction is in the scorecard’s footnote: its average is calculated only after release and excludes people currently incarcerated. The 198-day figure measures elapsed time for people still inside—not their eventual completed stays. The numbers describe different groups, rather than competing estimates of the same thing.⁠[1]

The current-custody chart shows the long-stay population more directly: 489 people had been jailed for more than a year, and another 386 had spent between 181 and 365 days in custody as of November 4.⁠[1]

There is progress in the monthly scorecard, but it is uneven. The released-person average fell from 57 days in September to 49 in October, still above the county’s 30-day goal. Felony-case clearance reached its 100% goal, up from 92%. Yet the share of felony cases disposed of within 180 days fell from 40% to 30%, far below the 90% target.⁠[1]

The presentation also sets out steps intended to reduce missed court appearances and review some people’s continued detention. Automated court-date text reminders have a December 1 target launch, initially covering Superior Court criminal cases being calendared 14 days ahead. Two or three bond-review calendars are planned before year’s end; the presentation says Superior Court increased the bond limit for those reviews from $10,000 to $15,000. The launch and calendars are described as plans, not completed results.⁠[1]

Commissioners are scheduled to receive the November Justice System Update as item 26-0804 on November 18. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. in Assembly Hall at the Fulton County Government Center, 141 Pryor Street SW, Atlanta.⁠[2]