IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 10, 2022 CONTACT: ACLU: Qainat Khan, [email protected] ACLU of Georgia: Dorrie Toney, [email protected]
WHAT: On Wednesday, October 12 at 1 p.m. ET the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia will share their analysis of Fulton County’s jail population data in a media call.
The analysis will show what Fulton County can do to reduce the number of people incarcerated in its jail and relieve overcrowding instead of pursuing a costly lease.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 12 at 1 p.m. ET
WHERE: Zoom. The call will be recorded and shared by request afterward.
Please register in advance here: https://aclu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wiYARPgfQyaS3eCL4_86IQ
WHO: Fallon McClure, deputy director of policy and advocacy, ACLU of Georgia Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney, ACLU National Prison Project Toni Meyers Douglas, vice president of state strategy & reentry, Legal Action Center Tiffany Roberts, director of the public policy unit, Southern Center for Human Rights Robyn Hasan, executive director, Women on the Rise
DETAILS: In response to overcrowding at the Fulton County Jail, Sheriff Patrick Labat wants to lease jail beds from the City of Atlanta to ease overcrowding at the Fulton County Jail. In August 2022, the Atlanta City Council and Atlanta Mayor approved an ordinance allowing a lease of the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC), pending an analysis of the Fulton County jail population by an intergovernmental committee.
Atlanta had planned to close ACDC as a jail, and repurpose the building as a community center to provide services and education.
Local advocates have been organizing in opposition to the jail expansion, and national civil rights organizations submitted a letter to the Atlanta Mayor and City Council last week, urging them not to move forward with the lease.
A fiscal impact analysis by the Legal Action Center found leasing the jail will actually cost Atlanta financially — as the lease will not cover the cost to Atlanta of operating the jail.