Senate Bill 7 would require Atlanta Detention Center be used by Fulton County; lawmakers and officials debate lease, costs and capacity

Senate Bill 7 (LC 47 31 88) was introduced for committee consideration as a measure to ensure the Atlanta Detention Center (ADC, also called ACDC in testimony) is available to Fulton County for jail use and to permit a long-term lease if a sale does not occur.

The measure’s sponsor and committee chair framed the bill as a narrowly tailored, practical fix intended to allow Fulton County to separate detainee populations — for example, moving nonviolent and medically fragile detainees to ADC while preserving Rice Street for other populations — and to avoid multibillion-dollar new construction estimates.

Why it matters: Committee members, city corrections officials and county leaders said they are wrestling with a complex mix of operational constraints, maintenance needs, costs and intergovernmental agreements. Proponents said using ADC could reduce violence and improve care by enabling single-cell housing and specialized staffing; opponents and some senators warned the bill reaches into local control and does not spell out contract details for maintenance, emergency outages or pricing.

Key points from the hearing

- Chair John Albers said the bill is narrowly tailored to ADC and…