Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Takes Further Actions on Criminal Justice Reform
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced additional actions to further address public safety and criminal justice reform in the city of Atlanta.
“Our Administration remains focused on strengthening public safety and enacting criminal justice reforms,” said Mayor Bottoms. “We will continue to champion initiatives and policies that reduce crime and violence, address the root causes of these problems and ensure fairness and accountability in the criminal justice system.”
The Administration has introduced legislation to implement the Department of Corrections (DOC) deployment plan. The plan includes recommendations for realigning DOC staffing needed to maintain Corrections operations and transitioning a number of staff positions to support and strengthen community and public safety needs.
The Administration also introduced legislation to establish a work session to lay out next steps to accomplish the ultimate closure of the ACDC. The session will incorporate the final recommendations of the Reimagining ACDC Task Force and the specific details to inform the policy, financial, and operational decisions necessary for final actions to close the facility.
Legislation was also introduced to conduct personnel actions necessary to move forward with pay and classification changes recommended for improving recruitment and retention of 911 Call Center staff, as directed by Mayor Bottoms’ Administrative Order dated December 18, 2020.
Since taking office, Mayor Bottoms has taken a series of justice reform measures in Atlanta, including the elimination of cash bond, expansion of Pre-Arrest Diversion, and establishing a process to restrict the records of offenses for possession of less than once ounce of marijuana and other minor offenses. A comprehensive list of Mayor Bottoms’ justice and police reform actions can be found at justicereform.atlantaga.gov.
