Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform Releases Report

Many of you will remember that back in April of 2011, Governor Deal and the General Assembly enacted legislation forming the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform to explore ways in which Georgia can potentially improve its state correctional system. The council released its latest report yesterday and had this to say:

During the past five years, Governor Nathan Deal and the General Assembly have adopted a series of transformative sentencing and correctional improvements with vigorous support from across the political spectrum. The Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform has been honored to help guide this effort. Beginning with the adult system and then extending into juvenile justice and, lastly, the critical arena of offender reentry, the Council has endeavored to reshape Georgia’s correctional approach based on data and the best available science about what works to reduce criminal offending. While there is considerable work yet to be done, the results thus far have been heartening.

The Council has been focused on studying ways to make Georgia’s correctional system more efficient by increasing public safety and holding criminals responsible while at the same time reducing costs to the taxpayer and ensuring motivated offenders have the tools necessary to alter their course upon being released.

Governor Deal has worked hard to lead on this issue at the state-level, and yesterday he released a statement praising the council for their work:

“I want to thank the criminal justice reform council for submitting their fifth report and for their dedication to making corrections work better for Georgians. While it is important that our criminal justice system penalize those who have harmed the lives and property of our citizens, it should also seek to change the direction of their lives so that they will not repeat their criminal conduct upon release,” said Deal. “I look forward to reviewing the recommendations of the Criminal Justice Reform Council and remain committed to seeing Georgia continue to lead the nation with meaningful criminal justice reform.”

Criminal justice reform has without a doubt been at the forefront of Georgia politics over the last few years, and it will no doubt continue to be in the future.

You can access the Council’s full report here.