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Robyn Hasan-Simpson (Leading with Conviction™ 2022) writes in a new co-bylined op-ed: “The Center for Diversion & Services, funded by the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, opened Jan. 20, 2025. Despite the lofty expectation of diverting over 10,000 people a year who would otherwise be booked on minor charges into Fulton’s jails, the center has been severely underutilized. On average, three people are diverted daily.
“The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is responsible for arresting over 40% of those booked on divertible charges, and thus bears much of the blame. This underutilization has frustrated some Fulton officials who want to see their money well spent and recognize that the responsibility for addressing a dysfunctional county jail system falls on them.
We continue to punish many of the most vulnerable individuals for the crime of, in essence, being poor in public.
“Fulton County Jail has experienced persistent overcrowding for decades, resulting in horrifying neglect and preventable death. As of April, Fulton reported 1,724 people in custody at the main jail on Rice Street, with an additional 352 beds in use at the Atlanta City Detention Center (ACDC). ACDC is currently in the third of a four-year lease for up to 700 beds.
“As the lease approaches its end and pressure mounts on Atlanta officials to repurpose ACDC as previously promised, Fulton needs to ensure all non-carceral alternatives, such as diversion, are maximized to sustainably lower the jail population. This goal is within reach, but requires buy-in from across the carceral continuum. …
“Diversion’s ability to effect change relies on supportive systems of community-based mental health, substance use treatment, housing, education, employment, and more. It takes the centering of prevention as policy priority to break the carceral cycle. …
“It is imperative we go beyond limited, police-led diversion to a wide embrace of diverse community responses. With emergency call data persistently showing around 5% of calls related to violence, police response makes little sense, introducing unnecessary risk to a variety of situations.
“Alternative, non-police response has proven efficient and effective across the country. In Atlanta, the Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative (PAD) offers non-coercive, care-centered response. However, due to a budget that amounts to less than 1% Atlanta’s carceral investments, it is not available 24/7 and awareness of the service remains low.
“Despite claims of justice and safety, we continue to punish many of the most vulnerable individuals for the crime of, in essence, being poor in public. Criminalization of this type amounts to perverse political manipulation, blaming individuals for their circumstances while not offering the support that could enable lasting change.”
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