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County report: diversion center usage climbs as commissioners press for more ankle monitors and clearer court coordination
Summary
Strategy Office and county managers reported jail population near 2,968 with a January high of 243 monthly diversions at the diversion center and continued use of electronic monitoring; commissioners pressed for clearer data on arrests, ankle‑monitor capacity and court remedies to reduce the jail population.
County Manager and the Strategy Office presented monthly justice and jail metrics on Feb. 18, painting a mixed picture: average monthly jail population remained near 2,900 inmates, with a one‑day snapshot on Feb. 11 showing 2,939 inmates and 70 people sleeping on the floor in Rice Street facility. Staff highlighted improvements in some clearance and productivity metrics but said the jail population remains a priority.
The diversion center, open since January 2025, recorded a new monthly high of 243 diversions in January and 1,514 diversions for calendar year 2025; the office reported a rolling‑12‑month upward trajectory and said 73% of discharges completed programming or were successfully connected to services. Steve Naraki said connected services included housing and mental‑health referrals and that Atlanta remains the largest referring jurisdiction for the center.
Commissioners pressed staff for additional, actionable data: several asked that arrest counts be added to the jail trend reporting to show inflow vs. outflow, and asked for a breakdown of the roughly 490 people who had been incarcerated longer than one year (how many are serving sentences, held on warrants, awaiting evaluations, or otherwise categorized). Commissioners also pressed superior court administration and magistrates’ discretion as a key lever for placing people on ankle monitors instead of bed space.
Electronic monitoring capacity was discussed repeatedly. Staff and commissioners noted the county’s contract capacity (figures in the discussion ranged from 1,200 to 1,500 depending on contract language and budgetary shifts) and reported roughly 543 participants currently on monitors—about one‑third of a 1,500 capacity referenced in the transcript—leading commissioners to say the county could expand monitoring use if judicial partners applied it more broadly and promptly.
What’s next: Commissioners asked staff to return with clearer linkage between arrests and population, more detail on who makes people ineligible for ankle monitoring (judicial or operational reasons), and an overview of enforcement or clawback mechanisms for incentive contracts (directed to Develop Fulton follow‑up). The county also signaled continued investment in diversion programming and ankle‑monitor capacity.
