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Georgia to lock up fewer young offenders

May 3, 2013 By Brendan Steinhauser

From Rhonda Cook at the Atlanta Journal Constitution
Originally published May 2, 2013

DALTON —With a swipe of his pen, Gov. Nathan Deal set in motion another phase of the effort to make criminal justice in Georgia less costly and more effective – this one focused on youthful offenders.

Deal signed House Bill 242, adding Georgia to the list of states making sweeping changes aimed at slowing the ballooning costs of incarceration while also steering petty offenders away from a life of crime.

Under the measure Georgia will lock up fewer juvenile offenders and send those accused of less serious crimes to community-based programs. It also will seek to address the root causes of minor offenses such as truancy, running away or being unruly.

The Legislature passed a similar bill dealing with adult offenders. Both measures enjoyed broad support, with fiscal conservatives worried about soaring costs allied with criminal justice reformers who think stringent sentencing hasn’t worked. And both had Deal’s backing.

“I knew the state could not continue on the path it was traveling in locking up people, throwing away the key and hoping for the best,” Deal said Thursday before the bill-signing at the Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center at Dalton.

He said the reforms in both the adult and juvenile systems are “the right thing to do. We think it will produce results we all want.”

Once the youth law takes effect Jan. 1, so-called “status offenders” arrested for minor offenses won’t go into the criminal justice system at all. Instead they will be sent to social services programs equipped to address the underlying reasons for their trouble, often found in their home lives. Teenagers accused of misdemeanors and low-level crimes like drug possession will not be sentenced to a juvenile prison. Instead they will be diverted to community-based programs.

Those who commit designated felonies will be separated into two categories. Crimes in which no one is hurt will mean no more than 18 months locked up plus another 1 1/2 years of intensive probation. Designated felons who harm someone could be locked up for as many as five years.

Other states that have made similar changes say they were able to close facilities because fewer kids were in the criminal justice system, saving taxpayers money.

Continue reading more about the legislation and its fiscal effects by clicking here: http://bit.ly/16yuwWr

Filed Under: Georgia, Juvenile Justice, Priority Issues, State Initiatives

Free Beacon: Taking On Crime

April 23, 2013 By Brendan Steinhauser

Excerpt from The Washington Free Beacon, originally published April 23, 2013 by Andrew Evans

Texas faced a choice in 2007: spend billions on new prisons to house its convicts or find creative ways to deal with criminals in the state.

State leaders chose the second option, and Texas’ reforms, which have been championed by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, have become the model for a conservative movement to reform the criminal justice system.

The Texas foundation started the “Right on Crime” project in 2010; its “statement of principles” has attracted support from conservative public policy heads like Jeb Bush, Newt Gingrich, and Grover Norquist.

“It’s one of the more exciting things I’ve worked on,” Norquist said.  Click here to read more.

Filed Under: Georgia, Pennsylvania, ROC Blog, South Carolina, State Initiatives, Texas

Georgia House passes juvenile justice reform bill

March 27, 2013 By Brendan Steinhauser

Good news out of Georgia. The Georgia House of Representatives just passed HB 242, the juvenile justice reform bill. It now goes to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature. Here is an excerpt from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Major changes are coming to how the state treats juveniles who get in trouble with the law under legislation that received final passage Monday.

House Bill 242 is now on its way to Gov. Nathan Deal’s desk. The governor has indicated he supports it.

The bill is considered a milestone in the state’s two-year effort to reserve expensive prison bed space in both the adult and juvenile systems for the most violent offenders.

The bill is a rewrite of the entire Georgia juvenile code — which also addresses adoptions, parental rights and children who are neglected or abused. The focus on House Bill 242 as it moved through the legislative process, however, was on aspects of the bill that address the juvenile justice system — those who commit aggravated assaults and armed robberies as well as those accused of misdemeanors and status offenses such as running away or skipping school.

Advocates say the changes could save taxpayers $88 million over five years by diverting the less dangerous juveniles into community-based programs instead of locking them up at a cost to taxpayers of $247 a day or $90,000 a year for each detained juvenile. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs, has said the changes also would mean Georgia would not have to build two more secure facilities to accommodate the growing number of juvenile offenders in state custody.

Filed Under: Georgia, Juvenile Justice, ROC Blog

Kelly McCutchen on WGAU 1340AM – Talking Juvenile Justice Reform in Georgia

March 25, 2013 By Brendan Steinhauser

Listen to this radio interview of Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Kelly McCutchen talk about juvenile justice reform in Georgia on talk radio station WGAU 1340AM in Georgia. The interview starts a couple of minutes into the show.

As Right on Crime signatory McCutchen points out, Georgia is spending more than $91,000 a year, per juvenile offender in a state facility. There are lower cost, more effective means of handling juvenile offenders that will save the state millions of dollars in the years to come.

Filed Under: Audio, Georgia, Juvenile Justice, ROC Blog

Right on Crime Campaign Applauds Unanimous Passage of Juvenile Justice Reforms in the Georgia Senate

March 22, 2013 By Brendan Steinhauser

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 22, 2013

AUSTIN – Today, the Right on Crime campaign congratulated the Georgia Senate for unanimously passing a major juvenile justice reform bill. This legislation would enact comprehensive juvenile justice reforms recommended by the Governor’s Special Council on Justice Reform.

The reforms would refocus Georgia’s juvenile justice system on programs that actually work to keep streets safer. The bill would redirect a portion of Georgia’s current expenditures toward programs that have been shown to reduce the likelihood of youths to re-offend and help them on a path to becoming productive adults. For example, it would ensure that risk assessment instruments are used so that decision-makers have accurate information.

The legislation would also target the state’s resources towards higher-level offenders and save the state nearly $85 million through 2018, which would avoid the opening of two additional juvenile residential facilities. Currently, the cost of housing each juvenile offender is more than $91,000 per year.

The Senate version of the bill will now go back to the Georgia House since it is slightly different than the House version.

Right on Crime Policy Director Marc Levin said, “We are happy to see the Georgia Senate move forward on public safety reforms that align with conservative principles of limited government, individual liberty, and personal responsibility. We hope the bill goes to Governor Deal very soon.”

Right on Crime is a national campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation that supports fighting crime, prioritizing victims and protecting taxpayers. It was founded in 2010 in order to increase public awareness of the conservative position on criminal justice policy, based on values such as limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility.

National conservative leaders such as tax activist Grover Norquist, former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and former federal “drug czar” Bill Bennett are among those who have signed the Right on Crime Statement of Principles.

Marc Levin is Policy Director of the Right on Crime campaign.

Right on Crime is a national campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation that supports fighting crime, prioritizing victims and protecting taxpayers.

Primary website: www.rightoncrime.com

Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/RightOnCrime

Twitter feed: www.Twitter.com/RightOnCrime

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Filed Under: Georgia, Juvenile Justice, ROC Blog

Newt Gingrich and Kelly McCutchen Op-Ed on Juvenile Justice

March 20, 2013 By Brendan Steinhauser

Check out this great op-ed by Newt Gingrich and Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s Kelly McCutchen in today’s Marietta, GA newspaper. It’s about how Georgia can make some major reforms in their juvenile justice system. We expect a vote on proposed legislation this week. Here is an excerpt from the piece in the Marietta Daily Journal.

Now Georgia has the opportunity to apply those same conservative convictions to its juvenile justice system by adopting the recommendations of the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform. After months of research, the bipartisan council has produced a set of proposals that will stop wasteful government spending and help more of Georgia’s young offenders fulfill their promise to lead productive, law-abiding lives.

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Georgia can lead again on juvenile justice reform

Filed Under: Georgia, Juvenile Justice, ROC Blog, Uncategorized

Georgia State Rep. Jay Neal on Oregon talk radio

March 18, 2013 By Brendan Steinhauser

Listen to Georgia State Rep. Jay Neal discuss criminal justice reform in Georgia on the Bill Meyer radio show in Oregon. He makes a solid case for reforming the system in Oregon, based on the Right on Crime principles he applied in Georgia.

Filed Under: Audio, Audio and Video, Georgia, Oregon, Prisons, ROC Blog

Right on Crime Applauds Passage of Juvenile Reforms in Georgia House

February 28, 2013 By Brendan Steinhauser

AUSTIN – Today, the Right on Crime campaign congratulated the Georgia House of Representatives for unanimously passing HB 242. This bill would enact comprehensive juvenile justice reforms recommended by the Governor’s Special Council on Justice Reform.

HB 242 would refocus Georgia’s juvenile justice system on programs that actually work to keep streets safer. The bill would redirect a portion of Georgia’s current expenditures toward programs that have been shown to reduce the likelihood of youths to re-offend and help them on a path to becoming productive adults. For example, it would ensure that risk assessment instruments are used so that decision-makers have accurate information.

The legislation would also target the state’s resources towards higher-level offenders and save the state nearly $85 million through 2018, which would avoid the opening of two additional juvenile residential facilities. The bill will now go to the Georgia Senate for consideration.

Right on Crime Policy Director Marc Levin said, “We are happy to see yet another state move forward on public safety reforms that align with conservative principles of limited government, individual liberty, and personal responsibility. We hope the Georgia Senate will take up this legislation soon.”

Georgia broke ground last year by passing comprehensive legislation to right-size its criminal justice system. The adult reform package, which also received unanimous support, aimed to improve public safety, hold offenders accountable, and control skyrocketing corrections costs. The legislature is now turning that same focus toward the juvenile justice system.

Right on Crime is a national campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation that supports fighting crime, prioritizing victims and protecting taxpayers. It was founded in 2010 in order to increase public awareness of the conservative position on criminal justice policy, based on values such as limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility.

National conservative leaders such as tax activist Grover Norquist, former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and former federal “drug czar” Bill Bennett are among those who have signed the Right on Crime Statement of Principles.

Marc Levin is Policy Director of the Right on Crime campaign.

Right on Crime is a national campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation that supports fighting crime, prioritizing victims and protecting taxpayers.

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Filed Under: Georgia, Juvenile Justice, ROC Blog

Marc Levin on NPR’s On Point radio show

February 21, 2013 By Brendan Steinhauser

Policy Director Marc Levin appeared on NPR’s On Point radio show to discuss the costs of prisons. Here is the link.

Right on Crime supports applying the principles of limited government to the criminal justice system. We believe that the system should preserve public safety, provide justice, reduce crime and lessen costs.

Filed Under: Audio, Georgia, Kansas, Oregon, Prisons, ROC Blog, South Dakota

Hunstein: Georgia at “Crossroads in Juvenile Justice History”

February 8, 2013 By Mike Klein

This post also appears on the blog of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.

Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Carol Hunstein declared the state is at a “crossroads in juvenile justice history” and challenged the General Assembly to expand mental health services for “clearly disturbed youngsters” during her final State of the Judiciary address, telling lawmakers, “We wait for the explosion and it will come” unless courts have more resources for dealing with juveniles who are clearly at risk to themselves and others.

Hunstein delivered her final State of the Judiciary Address to the General Assembly Thursday morning in Atlanta.  Her term as Chief Justice expires later this year.  Hunstein devoted a major section of her remarks to adult and juvenile justice system reforms.  Legislators enacted the start of adult reforms in 2012; this year they will consider a large juvenile justice system bill.

“What does a judge do with a chronic runaway girl who comes before him with untreated mental health problems and a history of being sexually exploited while living on the streets?  What does a judge do with the boy who repeatedly is charged with shoplifting but whose family is seriously dysfunctional?” Hunstein told lawmakers.

“Most juvenile judges say they do not want to send these children to locked facilities, but with no community resources and fearing for the children’s safety, they feel they have no alternative.  As one juvenile judge recently wrote, without resources at home, detention becomes a default when the hammer is the only tool in the toolbox.”

Chief Justice Hunstein opened her 27-minute address with a summary of adult reforms that are underway based on recommendations made in 2011 by the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform.  Diversion of non-violent offenders away from costly prison beds into alternative programs has enabled the state to slow the growth of its prison population.  Hunstein said the state is “on track to save $264 million in five years.”  Fewer state inmates are being held in county jails.  Twelve new drug and mental health courts opened last along with several substance abuse and mental health treatment centers.

The Chief Justice also emphasized “the beginning of a new way of handling long-term inmates who have served many years – sometimes decades – in prison.  The fact is that 95 percent of this state’s 57,000 prison inmates will eventually walk out of prison; only 5 percent will die there.”  Last month state Pardons and Paroles began to assign “max-out” inmates to residential transition centers six months before their final release date.

“But the best measure of success is counted in the many individual lives that are being changed daily as a result of these accountability courts,” Hunstein said.  She added, “I have been honored to receive personal letters from a number of the graduates.  One graduate wrote: ‘On October 31, I went to court and regained full custody of my 6-year-old son, Nicholas.  It was the happiest day of my life other than the day he was born.  I am so grateful for the opportunity of giving back when I, for so long, took away.”

The General Assembly is waiting to see legislation that would dramatically realign the state’s juvenile justice system, completely rethink the antiquated juvenile civil code and, expected in a separate bill, put a few new tools into adult system reforms from last year.

“Today, we as Georgians – and as a nation – stand at a crossroads in juvenile justice history,” Hunstein told Senate and House members.  “We have learned just as we did with adult criminal justice that cracking down on juvenile crime is not enough.  We also must be smart about juvenile crime and take action to reduce it.”

Hunstein said based on average daily population, 2,000 youths are detained in youth long-term detention centers that are the equivalent of adult prisons, youth short-term detention centers or residential programs such as group homes.  The Chief Justice said more than half committed non-violent offenses, 40 percent are considered low-risk and one-quarter were adjudicated for a misdemeanor or status offense that would not be a crime if committed by an adult.

The state spends $91,000 a year to incarcerate a juvenile in youth prison, vastly more than $19,000 spent per year to incarcerate an adult.  Hunstein said, “The difference in cost is based on young people’s educational and other needs that must be met under state and federal laws.

“But consider the return we get on every dollar spent housing these juveniles:  Of the 619 children in our youth prisons, nearly 65 percent will commit another offense within three years of getting out – and nearly every one of them will get out.

“We know one thing for certain:  Spending $91,000 a year to lock up a juvenile and getting 65 percent recidivism is not working,” Hunstein said.  “We can be smarter with taxpayer dollars.  More importantly, we can produce a safer Georgia.”

Juvenile justice reform legislation is expected to emphasize expansion of community treatment options when incarceration is not required and would not benefit a juvenile. Governor Nathan Deal included a $5 million line item in next year’s budget to help jump start these programs.

Presiding Justice Hugh Thompson will succeed Hunstein as Chief Justice later this year.

Filed Under: Georgia, Juvenile Justice, Priority Issues, ROC Blog, State Initiatives
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