With overcrowding

at the Fayette County Jail a key issue in the past few days, Peachtree

City is looking at ways it can alleviate the problem.

At last week's

City Council meeting, City Attorney Rick Lindsey, who is also the solicitor

for the municipal court, said county attorney Bill McNally told him Peachtree

City wasn't causing the problem. McNally said Peachtree City's municipal

court has not "abused the jail," Lindsey said.

Still, Lindsey

promised McNally that he would look at using alternative sentences to

jail time "but I need the jail as a club for the ultimate punishment

we can offer out of municipal court."

Lindsey indicated

that other punishments than jail time might be more effective in curbing

offenders from breaking the law again.

"I have

found in the last two weeks that asking the court for community service

is sometimes a worse punishment for some of these young people than going

to jail," Lindsey said.

Lindsey said

he was informed that approximately 90 percent of the city's probationers

lose the right to probation when they break the law again. In the past,

Lindsey has argued that such offenders should spend at least 24 hours

in jail, but he might revisit that idea.

The county

is asking cities to consider setting bonds so accused persons can immediately

post bond without having to go to the jail and possibly wait up to 72

hours for a bond hearing, Lindsey said.

Contrary to

rumors that had circulated, the county jail will not refuse to take city

prisoners, Lindsey said. That was cleared up at a meeting between representatives

of the counties and cities last Thursday evening, Lindsey said. "They

will be taking Peachtree City prisoners," Lindsey said. "And

we will work with the county to try and solve the overcrowding problem

at the jail."