A few days ago, I had the opportunity to interview Georgia’s governor. As you might guess, I was most interested in the criminal justice reforms that he and his administration have spearheaded since he took office.
I was under the impression that Governor Deal got the idea about criminal justice reform from our sister state of Texas. While Texas does have some similar criminal justice reforms, Deal actually became committed to the idea of justice reform and reinvestment on the campaign trail for governor.
“After hearing from a multitude of legislators, citizens and even probationers and parolees, I realized that Georgia citizens were not getting a good return on their taxpayer dollars when it came to adult corrections and juvenile justice. A prison bed costs over $18,000 per year; the entire budget for the Department of Corrections is over $1 billion. Yet the recidivism rate among adult offenders is about 35%. A bed in a secure facility operated by the Department of Juvenile Justice costs $90,000 per year, but the recidivism rate hovers around 50%. That’s not good fiscal policy nor is that good public safety policy. Our communities and the state as a whole deserved better.”
Governor Deal went on to say, “In 2012, I partnered with the Pew Center on the States to provide technical assistance to the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform. Pew came to the table with enormous expertise on these issues because of work they had done in other states. The Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform, co-chaired by Judge Mike Boggs of the Georgia Court of Appeals and Thomas Worthy, my Deputy Executive Counsel, included stakeholders that represented all viewpoints and provided a great deal of expertise in their own right. The Council carefully vetted a multitude of ideas, best practices and other suggestions. Some recommendations ultimately made by the Council, which subsequently became law, were similar to those already done by Texas and Ohio. But every recommendation was shaped and tweaked to serve the unique needs of Georgia.”
I was also interested in Deal’s opinion on the value of drug and mental health courts since I have clients enrolled in both and because his son, Judge Jason Deal, presides over the drug court in Hall County. I also believe that drug courts save lives and money.
via Deal getting it right on criminal justice – The Newnan Times-Herald.
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