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Atlanta corrections director reports rising detainee population, partnerships and e-bonding progress
Summary
The Department of Corrections reported partnerships with Emory/Grady, a higher average daily detainee population and progress on online payments and e-bonding; chief said Fulton County intergovernmental agreement remains in place and offered capacity details.
Atlanta Department of Corrections Interim Chief Elder Dancy presented the department’s fiscal 2025 third-quarter report on July 14, highlighting community partnerships, training, expanded electronic services and a rise in average detainee counts compared with prior fiscal years.
Dancy said the department has worked closely with Emory forensic psychiatric fellows in collaboration with Grady Hospital, noting that Emory clinicians saw 139 detainees during the quarter. He described partnerships that provided transportation and reentry support, and he credited “Someone Cares Atlanta” and the mayor’s office for emergency-warming-center food deliveries; DOC provided more than 37,000 meals during a warming-center activation and about 2,000 sandwiches at a gateway site, he said.
The report showed an increase in average daily population figures for ACDC across successive fiscal years. Dancy said the average daily population was 43 in fiscal 2023, 76 in fiscal 2024 and 111 in the fiscal 2025 third quarter. He attributed part of the increase to recent state changes affecting bail and release processes and said the department’s eBonding platform — launched Jan. 21 — had processed 896 bonds during the quarter.
On payments, Dancy said the department’s Encore online payment portal saw higher electronic transactions: “In FY ’24, Encore numbers…a little over 475,000 with payment of 73%. And then ’25, our Encore online numbers, are a little over 721,000 at 80%,” he reported, adding cash receipts were correspondingly smaller. The department said the shift toward online payments reduces handling and deposit work.
Dancy also listed staffing and training numbers: sworn staff totals for the quarter ranged roughly from 151 sworn/65 civilian in January to 145 sworn/65 civilian in March; DOC promoted CDL training in partnership with APD and Department of Public Works to certify officers to operate transport buses.
Intergovernmental agreement with Fulton County: Dancy said the city has allocated up to 700 beds under the IGA and that Fulton County’s detainee numbers at ACDC generally averaged in the low-to-mid 400s; the county handles security, food service and medical for its detainees under the agreement. “We meet with them at least once every other week,” Dancy said.
Council members pressed for context. Council Member Antonio Lewis asked whether the higher average age of detainees (around 35–36) was unusual; Dancy said that age distribution is common nationally and often reflects recidivism patterns. Members also discussed capacity pressures at the Rice Street jail in Fulton County after the county sued its commissioners; Dancy said the city has not seen significant operational impacts at ACDC but will continue to monitor staffing and bed use with Fulton County leadership.
Why it matters: The report illustrates operational changes in detention operations, growing reliance on electronic payments and bonding, and continued coordination with Fulton County and community providers to manage detainee care and reentry.
What’s next: Council requested continued monitoring of Fulton County bed usage and staffing impacts and asked DOC for follow-ups on staffing and training initiatives.
