FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 28, 2026
Contact: Katherine Hamoudah, khamoudah@schr.org
Jail Reform Advocates and Chairman Robb Pitts to Hold Victory Press Conference Following Sheriff’s Misdemeanor Booking Policy Shift
Coalition leaders say reducing jail bookings must be paired with full use of Atlanta’s existing diversion services providers and the Center for Diversion
ATLANTA—Jail reform advocates with the Communities Over Cages Coalition, alongside Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts, and other community leaders, will hold a press conference on TODAY, Thursday, May 28 at 2:00 p.m. at the Fulton County Government Center 10th Floor in the Chairman’s suite to celebrate what advocates are calling a major victory in the fight to reduce overcrowding at the Fulton County Jail following Sheriff Pat Labat’s announcement that the jail will stop accepting most misdemeanor bookings beginning July 1.
Advocates say the Sheriff’s decision follows years of organizing and recent legislation passed last week by Chairman Pitts that was co-developed with coalition members and diversion advocates calling for reductions in low-level jail bookings tied to charges such as criminal trespass, marijuana possession, urban camping, and public drunkenness.
The sheriff’s announcement follows years of advocacy and days of intense pressure around newly passed legislation backed by Communities Over Cages coalition members and other jail reform advocates calling on the Sheriff’s Office to refuse certain low-level misdemeanor bookings, such as criminal trespass, marijuana possession, urban camping, and public drunkenness, into the overcrowded Rice Street Jail. Coalition leaders say the legislation and surrounding public pressure campaign helped force movement from the Sheriff’s Office after years of resistance to similar demands from the community.
“For years, advocates have demanded that Fulton leaders stop flooding the county jail with people accused of low-level offenses, and for years those calls were ignored or dismissed,” said Devin Barrington-Ward, member of the Communities Over Cages coalition. “Last week, our coalition worked alongside Chairman Robb Pitts to help shape legislation that directly confronted this issue and elevated it publicly. Within days, the Sheriff announced a policy shift that he had previously been hesitant and unwilling to support. This is what organized public pressure looks like.”
Advocates say the decision marks one of the most significant recent policy shifts aimed at reducing overcrowding inside the Fulton County Jail, which federal monitors have repeatedly warned is understaffed, unsafe, and operating at unsustainable population levels. Supporters of the policy say many misdemeanor arrests disproportionately impact unsheltered residents, people struggling with mental health or substance use challenges, and low-income Atlantans who are often criminalized for survival-related behavior rather than connected to services and support.
The announcement also comes amid growing concerns that the upcoming FIFA World Cup could lead to increased low-level arrests tied to intensified policing and public visibility efforts surrounding the international event, something coalition members flagged in recent presentations to the Council, including in a May 6 presentation by Play Fair ATL.
“We have consistently warned that Atlanta and Fulton County could not repeat the mistakes of the 1996 Olympics by sweeping poor and vulnerable people into the criminal legal system to create the illusion of order,” added Michael Collins, Director of Play Fair ATL, an Atlanta-based coalition of labor, housing, justice, and immigration orgs pushing for reforms in advance of the World Cup. “This policy shift is proof that there are alternatives to incarceration and that the county can reduce jail overcrowding without compromising public safety.”
Advocates say the new policy must now be paired with expanded investments in diversion, housing, behavioral health services, and care-first responses through programs like the Atlanta-Fulton Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD) and the Center for Diversion and Services.
“This announcement is a start. ” said Tiffany Roberts, Director of Public Policy at the Southern Center for Humans Rights. “Officials must continue heeding the wisdom of organizations by building new and sustaining existing diversion systems that stabilize people, reduce crises, and prevent incarceration in the first place.”
Community leaders say they will continue organizing around broader reforms connected to the coalition’s Path to 1000 report aimed at safely reducing the Fulton County Jail population and shrinking reliance on incarceration overall.
Speakers will discuss:
- The importance of fully funding and utilizing diversion services
- The risks of diverting people without connecting them to services
- The details of ongoing contract challenges with the City of Atlanta
WHAT: Press Conference on Diversion, Jail Overcrowding, and New Misdemeanor Booking Policy
WHEN: Thursday, May 28, 2026 — 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Fulton County Government Center, 10th Floor in the Chairman’s Suite
WHO:
- Atlanta-Fulton Policing Alternatives & Diversion Initiative (PAD)
- Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts
- Communities Over Cages Coalition
- Jail reform organizers
- Public safety and behavioral health advocates
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Immediately following the press conference