An Atlanta attorney and local official recently used a little-known Georgia law to help address jail overcrowding after personally bonding three people out of the Fulton County Jail who were being held on low bail amounts.
Mo Ivory, an attorney and Fulton County commissioner, revealed in a social media post that she paid $85 each to secure the release of three detainees charged with nonviolent offenses who were unable to afford the modest bond amounts.
Ivory said the effort highlights deeper problems within the county’s criminal justice system, where individuals can remain incarcerated not because they pose a danger to the public, but because they lack the money to pay small bonds.
Using a Little-Known Georgia Law
According to Ivory, Georgia law allows any individual to bond up to three people out of jail per year, provided certain conditions are met.
“I want everybody to know that there’s a state law that any individual can get three people out of jail per year,” Ivory said in a video filmed outside the Fulton County facility.
Taking advantage of that provision, she said she bonded three inmates out of jail in 2026, just as she did the previous year.
“I was with you last time. Just three people. How much? $85 each,” she said in the video, displaying receipts showing the payments.
The Cost to Taxpayers
Ivory also used the moment to raise concerns about the financial cost of keeping low-risk detainees behind bars.
She noted that it costs approximately $115 per day per inmate to house someone in the Fulton County jail system—far more than the small bond amounts that kept the individuals incarcerated.
“Help me make that make sense,” she said, pointing out that people remain jailed for bonds under $100 simply because they cannot afford to pay them.
“These were nonviolent offenses, the kinds of minor charges where people often remain in jail not because they’re a danger, but because they’re poor,” Ivory wrote.
She said the charges involved minor infractions such as disorderly conduct and other petty violations.
CLICK HERE TO ATTORNEY MO IVORY’S FULL VIDEO
Overcrowding Concerns
Ivory’s action also drew attention to ongoing overcrowding issues at the Fulton County jail, which has faced scrutiny over inmate conditions and population levels.
While she was posting bond for the three detainees, Ivory said the facility still had dozens of inmates without beds.
“Today, as I’m standing here getting three people out, there are 67 inmates sleeping on the floor,” she said.
The commissioner framed the effort as a small but practical step while broader reforms are debated.
“It’s a small step, but it’s one way to help while we work toward addressing the larger jail overpopulation crisis in Fulton County,” she said.
Call for Community Action
Ivory also encouraged members of the public to consider using the same legal provision to help others facing similar circumstances.
“Every year you can come here and ask for low bonds—people who are here for nonviolent offenses,” she said. “You can come here and you can do three people a year.”
She pledged to continue returning annually to bond out detainees who remain jailed over minor charges.
“I promise to come back and keep on doing that every year,” Ivory said. “It’s a way to help.”
