ATLANTA — A bipartisan group of Georgia lawmakers have introduced a bill that they say would boost juvenile courts – with an eye on keeping young offenders from repeating.
This was one of the first bills produced during the first day of the session and takes on a challenging criminal justice issue.
State data shows tens of thousands of cases plow through Georgia’s juvenile court systems. The goal of these courts is to turn around juvenile offenders, keeping them from becoming adult criminals. While some end up in juvenile detention – the courts lean hard on alternatives, like mental health and drug programs.
Judge Jeremy Clough said they work.
"That’s the real power of juvenile courts. When done well, you can make a generational difference in people's lives and their families. It’s like a snowball. It’s always easier to stop at the top of the mountain," said Clough of White County.
Clough helped write a bill that would standardize the work and the funding for mental health and drug courts operating under Georgia’s juvenile courts – similar to those in adult criminal courts, said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Stan Gunter (R-Blairsville), a former superior court judge.
"In fact, that’s what it did in Superior Court when I was a Superior Court judge. It gave me other options to deal with people that had issues with addiction or mental health. And it was very effective and very helpful," Gunter said Tuesday.
Gunter’s bill has support from juvenile court judges plus lawmakers in both parties.