Fulton County taxpayers, including Roswell residents, will gain 1,150 jail beds after Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens accepted the county's $68 million offer to buy the Atlanta City Detention Center.

Dickens sent a letter to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, Sept. 8, ending a months-long standoff over the 17-story downtown facility, Appen Media reported. The deal had stalled after Dickens demanded Fulton County commit an additional $200 million over a decade to build a hospital with Morehouse School of Medicine and Atrium Health, Rough Draft Atlanta reported. Commission Chair Robb Pitts rejected that condition, and Dickens ultimately dropped it.

The purchase matters locally because Fulton County's existing jail has roughly 1,300 beds but has held as many as 3,000 inmates at a time, according to Fulton Neighbor. The county already spends $14.3 million a year outsourcing inmates to other facilities, according to the 2026 Fulton County budget.

Without the purchase, the county's existing lease on beds at the detention center was set to expire in December. Per-day housing costs would have tripled to $150 per inmate after that.

"We have been at capacity or … arguably over capacity for a long time because we outsource a lot of inmate beds in other counties already," Fulton County Commissioner Dana Barrett said.

Barrett called the deal a significant step. It won't be an instant fix. The detention center, built in 1995 at 254 Peachtree St. SW, needs an estimated $75 million in renovations, according to 11Alive. The savings estimates also vary widely: Dickens' letter claimed the purchase would save taxpayers about $600 million in net present value, while Barrett said the real figure is probably between $150 million and $200 million. Neither side has disclosed how those numbers were calculated.

The county entered a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice in January 2025 after a November 2024 report found conditions at the Fulton County Jail were unconstitutional. Adding 1,150 beds under county control is part of the effort to meet that agreement's requirements.

Under the deal, 150 beds at the detention center will remain reserved for Atlanta detainees held on municipal charges. Dickens said in a statement that the agreement would promote safe and humane treatment of detainees while making responsible use of existing public resources.

Both the Atlanta City Council and the Fulton County Board of Commissioners must still vote on a finalized agreement, which officials said would be presented in the coming weeks. No specific vote date has been set. Residents can watch for updates on the Fulton County Board of Commissioners meeting agendas.