Atlanta councilmembers hold resolution seeking staged withdrawal of Fulton County detainees from Atlanta City Detention Center

City Councilmembers on the Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee voted unanimously to hold a resolution that would have initiated planning for a staged withdrawal of people detained at the Atlanta City Detention Center under the city’s intergovernmental agreement with Fulton County.

The resolution, 25R3289, authored by Councilmembers Antonio Lewis, Liliana Bakhtiari and Dacian Dozier, was put on hold after council members said they wanted more detail on Article 22 of the intergovernmental agreement (IGA) and related data about who Fulton County is housing at ACDC.

Supporters and opponents addressed the committee during the public-comment period. Jessica Corbett, director of external affairs for Fulton County, urged the committee to preserve access to the facility while Fulton County carries out jail repairs and reforms. “Fulton County's use of the Atlanta City Detention Center is essential to that effort,” Corbett said, adding that the county has committed funding to systemwide improvements and that the county entered a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice in January to improve conditions.

Devin Franklin, senior movement policy counsel with the Southern Center for Human Rights, told the committee…