Justice Policy Board: Fulton County diversion center underused; board seeks staffing, warrant clinic and outreach

Fulton County officials said Wednesday the county’s diversion center is functioning but far below its intended use and outlined steps to increase referrals from law enforcement.

Judge Robert McBurney, co-chair of the county’s Justice Policy Board, told the Fulton County Board of Commissioners the center has handled about 400 diversions through May and turns people around quickly: an average drop-off ‘‘turnaround time’’ of about 83 seconds. But overall daily traffic is ‘‘about 3 a day’’ instead of the modeled capacity of up to 40 per day.

The center was created to give officers an option to bring people in crisis to a staffed facility for assessment and services rather than book them into jail. McBurney said the facility is consent-based, open 24/7 and modeled on similar centers in Tucson and Houston. ‘‘We change 3 lives a day. That's great. That's 3 more than before, but we built something that can do more and we ought to empower it to do,’’ McBurney told commissioners.

Why it matters: diversion aims to reduce short, costly jail stays for people with behavioral health or basic needs problems while connecting them to services. Board members said higher utilization would reduce pressure on the jail and emergency services and that the county has already invested about $2.5 million to open and $2.5 million per year for operations.

What the board heard - Usage and speed: The Justice Policy Board reported 400 diversions through May and said about 80% of visitors accepted services and connections. Staff said a small number of officers are frequent referrers — 45 officers accounted for the 400 diversions — suggesting uneven field adoption. - Missed opportunities: A jail-population review pilot examined two months of bookings and found 87 bookings with only divertable charges; 16% of those had warrants and roughly half the remainder were released within five days, indicating potentially avoidable jail stays. - Reasons for underuse: Presenters and public commenters cited three factors: (1) questions about whether recent state law changes affect eligibility; (2) warrants and interjurisdictional holds that can prevent diversion; and (3) law-enforcement practice and culture. An Atlanta Police Department representative said APD has promoted diversion in roll calls and training and that some officers and units — especially quality-of-life teams — have made consistent use of the center. The APD representative also said victims who insist on prosecution can limit diversion in particular incidents.

Public comment and staff reports reinforced that diversion is not merely about reducing counts but ‘‘about protecting human beings,’’ as Dominique Grant of Women on the Rise Georgia told the board.

Board directions and next steps discussed - Strategic planning: The Justice Policy Board will convene a strategic planning session on June 12 to review operations and missed diversion opportunities. - Staff for data review: The board recommended creating a staffed position to run the jail-population-review work on an ongoing basis; currently a shoestring volunteer effort examined missed diversions, and presenters said continuous, data-driven review requires an assigned FTE or contractor. - Warrant-resolution clinic expansion: The board urged growth of the warrant-resolution clinic to remove technical warrants as an obstacle to diversion in appropriate cases. - Outreach to other jurisdictions and APD: Board members said more structured engagement with Atlanta Police Department and neighboring municipalities (East Point, College Park, South Fulton) is needed to expand referrals. Presenters noted APD is the primary referring agency so far.

What was not decided The board discussed funding, hiring for the new staff role, and possible policy clarifications but did not take a formal vote to change eligibility rules or appropriate new funds during the meeting. Commissioners signaled support for staffing in the upcoming budget cycle and asked staff to return with cost estimates and implementation steps.

Context and caveats The diversion center is consent-based and limited to nonviolent, low-level offenses; it is not a long-term residential treatment facility and limits length of stay to 23 hours. The center’s operator is Grady Healthcare, which provides an on‑site pipeline to mental-health care where needed. County staff and Justice Policy Board members emphasized that increases in referrals will require cultural change in law enforcement and better cross-jurisdictional coordination.

Commissioners asked that staff return with a specific proposal for the full-time jail-population review position and an implementation timeline tied to measurable increase targets for diversion referrals.