Everyone agrees about need for diversion center. Why hasn’t it worked?
Atlanta’s Center for Diversion and Services was opened to keep low-level offenders struggling with mental health and substance abuse issues out of the Fulton County Jail — but it has fallen way short of the results officials had hoped for.
Who’s to blame?
Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts pointed the finger at Atlanta and other local police departments. But APD argued strict criteria puts limitations on which individuals can be taken to the center.
The issue was batted back-and-forth Monday during a meeting of the City Council’s public safety committee, which passed a resolution asking APD to prioritize diversion over arrests for low-level offenses, and for monthly progress reports.
The resolution is sponsored by Kelsea Bond, the first democratic socialist elected to the body.
The center was funded by both the city and the county and is located in the Atlanta detention center. While it is designed to serve more than 40 people per day, it has averaged just three, Pitts said, adding that at full capacity, the center could service 14,000 individuals per year.
“The overwhelming majority of the inmates in our jails are residents of the city of Atlanta,” Pitts said Monday. “The best of the 15-plus police departments in Fulton County has been Atlanta. But you all can do more.”
About 1,400 cases have been diverted by APD since its opening in October 2024, according to Deputy Chief Jason Smith.
The diversion center can help with overcrowding, and conditions that a Department of Justice investigation found unconstitutional and dangerous. It also offers a different path for low-level offenders who, according to a recent ACLU report, often languish behind bars.
Pressure to get jail conditions under control was heightened last week, when an evaluation of the county’s compliance with a federal legal agreement said a mandated cap on inmate population might be needed to increase safety.
APD leadership said Monday that diversions have steadily increased and that the offers have so far diverted 200 cases this year.
“We are utilizing it — it is been ingrained in all of our zones,” Smith told the committee. “We’ve trained our officers on it, and we’re using it when it’s available and when it’s appropriate for that case.”
A lengthy list of criteria must be met for diversion, Smith said: At least age 18; accused of a nonviolent crime; no active warrants; and the officer must have observed signs of substance abuse or mental health issues.
Then the big one: Diversion is not allowed if the victim presses charges.
“This is a countywide initiative,” Smith said. “And Atlanta Police Department is just one facet.”
Bond — who goes by they/them pronouns — said they introduced the resolution to increase transparency around diversion data and help efforts to address poor conditions at the county jail.
“Given the severity of the overcrowding of the Fulton County jail,” Bond said, “the diversion issue warrants the level of attention that we (give) to other public safety related issues in the city.”
Community advocates in favor of Bond’s legislation also urged officials to lean on the center as they prepare for the World Cup in June.
“We’re expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors, global media attention and intense scrutiny of how our city operates under pressure,” said Michael Collins, the director of Play Fair ATL, a coalition focused on human rights during the soccer tournament.
“Put simply: diversion is part of being World Cup ready.”
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About the Author
Riley Bunch is a reporter on the local government team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering Atlanta City Hall. She covers the mayor and Atlanta City Council while also keeping an eye on the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
