Dozens of residents, advocates and criminal justice experts pressed the Atlanta City Council on Oct. 20 over the city’s 2022 decision to lease the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) to Fulton County and ongoing problems at the county jail system.

The concerns centered on deaths in custody, reports of people sleeping on floors, understaffing at Fulton County facilities and the effect of the ACDC lease on where people are housed. Speakers said the lease has not achieved promised improvements and that the county still operates overcrowded, dangerous facilities.

Why it matters: Witnesses argued the lease and related county decisions have real public-safety and human-rights consequences — including deaths in custody that, they said, continued after the lease took effect. Several speakers asked the council to press for a concrete plan and timelines tied to corrective commitments from Fulton County.

Details from the meeting

- Devin Franklin, senior policy counsel at the Southern Center for Human Rights, told the council the group predicted several outcomes when the lease passed: that women held in Union City would be moved first; that Fulton County would not have the staff to fully use the 700-bed authorization; and that deaths would continue because of a culture of neglect. Franklin said those predictions had come true: women were moved to ACDC, the county has underused beds because of staffing shortages, and deaths in custody continued. He named a list of people reported to have died in Fulton County custody since the legislation passed and said some deaths were not reported to the public in a timely way.

- Franklin and other speakers asked the council to stop treating the issue as a city-only problem and instead demand a coordinated approach with Fulton County and the sheriff to ensure staffing, medical capability and transparency.

- Council members responded variously: Councilmember Michael Julian Bond said he disagreed with advocates who oppose building a new county jail, arguing that Fulton County needs adequate facilities and that other issues — including municipal court practices and pretrial processes — also factor into who enters the county system. Bond said the city historically diverted many arrestees from county custody and that coordination is needed.

- Councilmember Antonio Lewis said a resolution he sponsored was intended to convene city and county leaders, not immediately end the lease. He and others urged that a staged withdrawal plan needs concrete alternatives for people who would otherwise be housed at ACDC.

- Several council members — including Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari and Councilmember Andrea Boone — said they oppose expanding jails and emphasized the need for alternatives, community investment and reforms that reduce incarceration.

What advocates asked for

Speakers urged the council to: demand independent, public reporting about deaths and conditions in county custody; require a coordinated timeline and measurable milestones tied to staffing and medical capacity at Fulton County facilities before moving forward on any long-term arrangements; and keep the city’s role focused on the safety and welfare of Atlanta residents.

Council follow-up and process notes

Council members said they want to convene county leaders, the sheriff, and city and nonprofit stakeholders to clarify where the city’s responsibilities end and where the county must act. Several speakers and council members mentioned prior legislation authorizing the lease and urged the city to ensure promises made when the lease passed are met, including evacuation or staged withdrawal plans. No new binding action or vote on the lease was taken during the Oct. 20 meeting.

Ending

The debate concluded without a council vote to change the lease; instead, members described continued oversight and plans to press Fulton County for concrete staffing and facility timelines. Advocates said they would continue to press for transparency, independent reporting and specific remedies for people currently housed in county custody.