The Justice Policy Board — a group of city and county leaders working with local organizations to develop arrest and incarceration diversion resources — will have to finish its jail population review before Fulton County is allowed to begin moving inmates into the Atlanta City Detention Center. By a vote of 9-5, the Atlanta City […]
Criminal Justice
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Fulton Jail Study Could be Sidestepped by City Council
There is a new development in the proposed plan to lease space in the Atlanta City Detention Center to Fulton County. The Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee voted to introduce legislation that would repeal an amendment requiring a jail population review before the agreement can go into effect. When the City Council voted to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Here’s How You Can Tell the Mayor What You Want in a New APD Chief
Mayor Andre Dickens wants Atlanta residents to fill out a survey about what qualities you are looking for in the next chief of police. “Building public trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve is a collaborative process, and our Administration wants to ensure that all Atlantans have a seat at the table so […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
Why Does Atlanta Want to Lease Its Jail to Fulton County?
As local leaders and criminal justice advocates eagerly await the results of a Fulton County Jail inmate population study expected to be released this month, Atlanta’s recent decision to lease jail space to the county has drawn accusations of increasing mass incarceration. In August, the conversation around overcrowding in metro jails got contentious when the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Public Safety
Southern Center for Human Rights Kicks Off Public Safety Town Hall Series
Looking for a way to voice your opinion on community policing in Atlanta’s six police zones? The Southern Center For Human Rights has several upcoming events aimed at giving residents a platform to speak on the topic. Starting this week, the public interest law firm will host a series of town halls focused on public […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Policing in Atlanta at Center of Upcoming Town Hall Series
An Atlanta nonprofit wants to compensate residents for feedback on police violence and public safety. The Southern Center for Human Rights is hosting a series of town hall meetings to engage the community with the goal of receiving holistic data to make policy recommendations directly to Atlanta officials. The initiative from the public interest law […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
Where in the World is Officer Gray?
It was a simple question. At a Grove Park Neighborhood Association meeting earlier this year, residents voiced their concerns about the turnover rate for the Atlanta Police Department (APD) officers in the area. Coupled with the concern that the APD has failed to provide the area with officers trained in community policing, other public safety issues […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Young Thug, Gunna, and Understanding RICO in Georgia
Atlanta-based rappers Young Thug and Gunna were recently arrested along with 26 other defendants in a 56-count indictment. According to the indictment, each defendant was charged with conspiracy to violate Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, also known as RICO. Convictions can lead to up to 20 years in prison. Young Thug and Gunna’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
When Speech Isn’t Free: Young Thug and Gunna’s Racketeering Case Puts Lyrics on Trial
One of the few areas of the city relatively untouched by gentrification in recent years is Cleveland Avenue, a well-worn street in southeast Atlanta bustling with activity and homegrown culture where longtime residents gather to celebrate Cleveland Avenue Day. Lately, however, it’s more famously known as the area that shaped and informed much of rapper […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
Is A Guilty Verdict Enough? Black Residents in Atlanta Aren’t So Sure.
Atlanta resident Gregory Sutton has spent the last 15 years going in and out of Georgia prisons, sleeping on hard mattresses and confined to a cell for 23 hours a day — and that’s exactly the experience he wants for the three white men who chased down and murdered Ahmaud Arbery. A jury found Travis […]
