Despite its recent success, Mayor Andre Dickens and Atlanta City Council have yet to renew the contract for the Center for Diversion and Services (CDS). In November, Atlanta took a necessary step forward for criminal justice reform in opening the CDS. The Center offered a much-needed alternative to traditional detention by redirecting people facing behavioral health concerns away from overcrowded jails and city detention centers. However, the CDS’s future is now in limbo, as the City Council debates whether to renew the funding and partnership agreements critical to its operation, citing concerns over budget constraints and questions about its long-term effectiveness. As City Council argues its fate, we must not forget the Center represents a community-centered approach that prioritized addressing the needs of communities. Thus, if Atlanta truly values people, it must continue investing in diversion over detention.
In a laudable collective effort, the City of Atlanta, Fulton County, Grady Memorial Hospital and Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative partnered to fund and operate the CDS, which opened last month. This new initiative aims to divert over 10,000 bookings from the Fulton County Jail to the CDS annually. The CDS promises to reduce overcrowding in Fulton County Jail, lower rates of recidivism and offer a break in the punitive cycle in which too many Atlantans are unjustly caught. The center’s diversion model draws inspiration from similar successful programs across the country, like the Judge Ed Emmett Mental Health Diversion Center in Houston, which has caused a significant reduction in jail time for people who utilize its services.
Since the 1980s, the idea that the U.S. government must “get tough” on crime has driven a largely punitive approach to law enforcement. Yet, this tactic has consistently failed to address the root causes of criminal behavior: Rather than prevent crime, it has led to growth of America’s prison population from nearly 329,000 in 1980 to over 1.9 million in 2023, outpacing the growth of the general U.S. population over nine times in the same period. This over policing as well as the militarization of local law enforcement disproportionately hurt Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, creating a system that exacerbates the crime and social disorder it purports to solve. Like many states, Georgia also has a troubling history of over policing, which has resulted in the disproportionate incarceration of marginalized people. Atlanta is guilty of this as well: Despite comprising less than 50% of the city’s population, Black people make up over 87% of Fulton County Jail’s detainees. Further, individuals with mental health issues are overrepresented in the prison population, with about a third of Fulton County Jail’s population struggling with their mental health.
Some of these defendants, many of whom are facing non-violent misdemeanor charges, are awaiting trial in Fulton County Jail in inhumane conditions, costing taxpayers a calculated $43 million each year. Many of these defendants are trapped in endless cycles of poverty, mental health crises and substance abuse. This cycle is only perpetuated by repeated run-ins with law enforcement. Pretrial detention also increases the likelihood of rearrest by 21% — clearly, this approach does not make communities safer. Therefore, to truly prevent crime, governments must instead address basic material needs, such as food, shelter, clothing and health care, which are often unmet for vulnerable communities in Atlanta.
Pretrial detention directly hurts those already on the periphery of society, emphasizing the urgency of shifting the policing model. This first step by the City of Atlanta gives us hope for future change. In contrast to detention, the CDS moves toward a more holistic, human-centered approach to public safety, recognizing that many people who encounter the criminal justice system are not threats, but individuals in need of assistance. Having empathy and solutions for folks in difficult situations is critical for facilitating meaningful change in their lives and breaking the cycles of hardship that contribute to criminal behavior.
The CDS initiative recognizes that incarceration should not be the default response to non-violent and low-level offenses. The center is designed to be a sanctuary, providing people with short-term resources such as laundry facilities, a food pantry, showers and a sobering room, as well as long-term services like case management and mental health support. By diverting an expected 41 people per day from jails, detention centers and emergency rooms, the CDS will not only better these peoples’ experiences with law enforcement but also clear the way for other patients to get care in Grady’s emergency psychiatric unit. Instead of pushing them to punishment, the CDS will welcome these people to a supportive environment, all while reducing recidivism rates and breaking the vicious cycle of crime and punishment.
However, for the CDS to succeed in its mission, it must be adequately funded and seamlessly integrated into the broader social services framework — a cause of concern, given the City of Atlanta’s focus on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, more commonly known as Cop City. The care and empathy poured into the CDS initiative sharply contrasts with the brutality behind Cop City. The training center’s construction has already disrupted the vulnerable Weelaunee Forest, located in a largely Black neighborhood, and will continue to bolster the grossly militarized Atlanta Police Department. Rather than investing millions of dollars in ecological destruction of former Muscogee land and the perpetuation of over policing, the City of Atlanta must instead refocus on initiatives like the CDS that divert rather than punish.
The stakes are high: If the Center’s contract is renewed on January 1, 2025, the CDS can continue to serve as a beacon of hope for thousands of individuals in custody, offering them a path out of the cycle of poverty and crime. However, if the Atlanta City Council fails to renew the contract, vulnerable Atlantans will continue to be arrested and jailed at little benefit to advancing public safety and quality of life.
By investing in community-based solutions like the CDS, institutions and corporations not only protect marginalized communities but also create a safer and more just city for everyone. Emory University, as a prominent investor in the Atlanta community, must step up to support these efforts. Particularly, the Emory School of Law’s commitment to public interest and pro bono service uniquely positions the University to extend its resources and expertise to the broader community, such as by offering a volunteer clinic that directly partners with the CDS. This would give law students the chance to provide legal assistance to these vulnerable populations, ensuring that everyone has access to reformative rather than punitive justice.
The CDS represents the early stages of a significant leap forward in Atlanta’s approach to public safety. With proper support and resources from the city and its partners, the CDS will continue to fundamentally transform lives and offer a lifeline to those caught in a web of socio-economic struggle and endless detention. It is high time to invest in our community, prioritize compassion and embrace a new paradigm of policing that seeks to heal rather than punish.
The above editorial represents the majority opinion of The Emory Wheel’s Editorial Board. The Editorial Board is composed of Editor Marc Goedemans, Carly Aikens, Hunter Buchheit, Allie Guo, Ethan Jacobs, Carson Kindred, Justin Leach, Eliana Liporace, Niki Rajani, Josh Rosenblut, Ilka Tona and Crystal Zhang.
