Former U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to surrender to Georgia state police in the coming days and is likely to remain in custody at the state's criminal justice facility for only a few hours. This special treatment is not afforded to other defendants in the state.

The judicial authorities announced on August 16 that Trump and the 18 other defendants are expected to be booked at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta before being presented to the court, but they clarified that "circumstances may change."
The former president must surrender to state police by August 25 to face charges of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Fulton County Police Chief Pat Labat indicated that officials will follow "the usual procedures" in handling Trump.

But experts said that Trump's experience is likely to be completely different from those who have been detained in this jail, which is known to be unsafe for weeks, months, or even years while waiting to be presented to the court.

Criminal defendants in the United States are held in jail if they are arrested, awaiting trial, and cannot be released on bail during their trial, or they serve a short sentence behind bars. Prisons are the places where criminals serve longer sentences after being convicted.

Hundreds of people remain in Fulton Jail for more than 90 days before being formally charged, or if they cannot pay the required bail for their release, according to a report released in September 2022 by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The report also showed that 117 people waited in jail for more than a year before being charged, and 12 people were held for two years before being charged.

Fallon McClure from the Georgia Civil Liberties Union said, "It has often been overcrowded since it was built," adding, "This situation has persisted repeatedly for years."