Atlanta jail diversion contract renewed after last-minute lapse
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The messy saga over who will provide jail diversion services in Atlanta ended last week, after an online back-and-forth between the city and the nonprofit that's led the effort for years.
Why it matters: Atlanta's primary jail is already troubled with overcrowding and other issues, making it vital to find solutions to steer at-risk people — like those struggling with housing or substance abuse — away from the criminal justice system.
- The nonprofit Policing Alternatives and Diversion Initiative, known as PAD Atlanta, has filled that role, but last week it temporarily shut down its services amid a contract dispute with the city.
Driving the news: PAD Atlanta on Monday said the city has executed a two-year contract, which includes two renewal options.
What they're saying: The nonprofit says it plans to hire more people and expand its hours, and to roll out a campaign to make the public aware that they can also call 311 to request services.
- It also plans to debut a dashboard to offer "transparency and data-driven insights as the program grows."
- "We are committed for the long-haul and we are just getting started," PAD deputy director Denise White said Monday in a press release. "Doing this work allows us to transform a system of punishment into one of restoration."
The other side: A city spokesperson confirmed to Axios the contract has been signed "after PAD made the unnecessary decision to withhold services, creating a manufactured crisis."
Catch up quick: The previous contract between the city and PAD Atlanta expired on Dec. 31.
- PAD Atlanta said last Thursday on social media that its services — including ATL311 referrals — are "suspended until further notice."
- In response to PAD's post, the city issued a terse statement the same day, saying its H.O.P.E. Team, which works with people with mental illnesses and helps homeless people find housing, would step in "until a new contract can be finalized with a qualified contractor."
Friction point: Atlanta has contended that its previous agreement with PAD didn't have ways to ensure taxpayers were getting their money's worth.
- So last year the city told PAD it wanted to do a competitive bidding process, PAD executive director Moki Macias previously told Axios.
- PAD went through that process and was told it was the most qualified bidder, so they began work on drafting a contract.
- When the contract came before Council, though, some elected officials raised questions about how PAD operates, Macias said.
- The council approved a month-to-month funding agreement through December with PAD while it worked to come to a permanent agreement.
- City Council in November approved legislation authorizing the funding for a new, two-year contract valued at $5 million.
Yes, but: Macias told Axios that the nonprofit did not receive any communication from the city following that November approval.
- PAD told Atlanta that the contract needed to be put into place before the month-to-month agreement expired at the end of the year, but Macias said the organization got no response from the city.
- Macias said the city on Dec. 30 sent PAD a contract with the aforementioned metrics and the nonprofit responded with its own revisions, to which Atlanta agreed.
- Still, the new contract hadn't been executed by the time the calendar flipped to 2025, and PAD Atlanta and the city were trading words again through social media and a press release.
- In its release, the city said last week that "after negotiating in good faith, and arriving at a new agreement" with PAD, the nonprofit told the city it would suspend its services.
By the numbers: Last year, PAD responded to more than 1,800 calls stemming from substance use, mental health crises and poverty. It has an average response time of 19 minutes.
The bottom line: The squabbling appears to be over now, and jail diversion services through PAD Atlanta for people who need them are back up and running — for at least the length of the latest contract.