Gwinnett Daily Post | County to bear cost of juvenile justice reform, judge says

LAWRENCEVILLE — The state’s gain in savings is the county’s loss when it comes to juvenile justice reform, a judge said Wednesday.

Gwinnett’s Chief Juvenile Court Judge Robert Rodatus blasted a law passed by the General Assembly this year, which he called a “monster,” saying it added processes that will make the system harder to manage and do little to help at-risk children. And while it promises to save the state millions of dollars, he said the county governments in Georgia would have to bear the cost instead.

Rodatus made the comments Wednesday while presenting his request for additional money in the county’s 2014 budget.

Rodatus asked for five more staffers — four of which had been lost in an efficiency study four years ago — to deal with the reform, which he called an “unnecessary and ridiculous expense.”

During Wednesday’s session with a citizens board reviewing budget requests alongside Commission Chairwoman Charlotte Nash, District Attorney Danny Porter also requested two staffers to help with a shift in the law.

via Gwinnett Daily Post | County to bear cost of juvenile justice reform, judge says.