
Together, these facilities would likely ease overcrowding at a fraction of the cost of a new jail. Fully utilize the 700 beds now available to the County at the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC) and explore the option of acquiring the entire facility.Effectively use the recently renovated Alpharetta Jail.


Convert the Jefferson Street facility now housing the homeless into a jail.However, there are cheaper alternatives that Fulton County should have explored. When the Fulton County Commission hired consultants to study the feasibility of a new jail, I predicted it was a foregone conclusion that they would find a new jail is the only solution to end the overcrowding problem.
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Everyone knows that processing those accused of crimes would free up much-needed jail space. Cases are so backlogged that many suspects languish in jail for days, weeks and even years. Our system is broken and until our justice partners get their act together, the overcrowding will continue. Arrestees are not being indicted in a timely manner, judges are not processing cases in a timely manner and in some instances, police are arresting and jailing people for minor offenses. Let’s begin with the key question: Why is the jail overcrowded in the first place? Have we seriously bothered to investigate less costly options and the exact price tag they may carry?

Building a new, very expensive jail is a band aid solution that will cost taxpayers dearly. But is building a $2.2 billion new jail that can house up to 4,000 inmates the only answer to the overcrowding crisis? Absolutely not.
