Readers write
New construction won’t solve Fulton jail overcrowding
In October 2022, in response to the proposal to lease the Atlanta Detention Center to Fulton County, the ACLU of Georgia issued a report, “There are Better Solutions,” outlining policy recommendations to reduce the Fulton County Jail population. The following year, when the Fulton County Board of Commissioners was considering a proposal to build a new $2 billion replacement jail, we issued a second report, “Breaking the Cycle: Exploring Alternatives to a New Jail.”
We have reiterated that the issues plaguing the jail will not be solved by constructing additional facilities. Overcrowding in Fulton County can only be solved if stakeholders comply with state law regarding setting bond amounts, indict cases in a timely fashion, release eligible individuals awaiting trial for misdemeanors, and fully utilize diversion programs.
For some time, the county made measurable progress in reducing its jail population by implementing reforms. After the ACLU of Georgia’s 2023 report was released, the jail population declined, reaching a low in January 2025. This progress, however, has not been sustained. The jail population has since rebounded, and the number of deaths in custody has continued to rise. Our next report, which will be released in January, examines the causes of the increase and includes further recommendations to reduce the jail population.
Everyone deserves public safety, including the members of our community suffering unnecessary, pretrial incarceration. We urge all stakeholders to come together to implement solutions to end the overcrowding in the Fulton County Jail.
ANDREA YOUNG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF GEORGIA
Atlanta stormwater plan needed before next disaster
Atlanta’s recent storms have made one thing unmistakably clear: downstream communities like Vine City and English Avenue are being flooded again and again by stormwater rushing unchecked from downtown’s Gulch.
This 267-acre area, covered almost entirely by rooftops and parking lots, sheds more than 36 million gallons of stormwater during major rain events. With nowhere to go, that water overwhelms old drainage and combined sewage systems and ends up in homes, churches, businesses and streets in Proctor Creek neighborhoods that have already suffered from decades of underinvestment.
Climate change is making this worse. As the AJC reported on Dec. 8, deadly floods across Southeast Asia are not a fluke; they are a warning. Warmer temperatures are driving more intense and unpredictable storms. Governments that failed to prepare paid a terrible price. Atlanta cannot afford to repeat that mistake.
In 2018, the City approved a $1.9 billion incentive package for Gulch redevelopment, yet no comparable investment has been made to protect the communities most impacted by its runoff.
The Stop Flooding Us Coalition urges the City of Atlanta to act now by adopting a stormwater infrastructure plan that captures Gulch runoff before the next disaster hits.
ALFRED TUCKER, EAST POINT
CO-CHAIR, STOP FLOODING US COALITION
Instead of subsidies, fix flaws in Obamacare
Here’s a suggestion for Georgia Democratic senators and congressmen: Stop fighting with Republicans about how much of my tax dollars you will use to pay someone else’s Obamacare premiums. Subsidies, they’re called.
Instead, use your time to fix the flaws in Obamacare. Do that, and there won’t be a need for the subsidies.
It’s the practical solution. And fair. The government doesn’t pay my health insurance premiums.
J. LINWOOD KEITH, DECATUR
