Realizing that Georgia’s prison population was soaring to record numbers, while public safety was not increasing, the bi-partisan Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgians was created to examine current criminal justice policies, and to suggest measures to cut the budget, reduce the state’s prison population, and increase public safety. The Council was provided technical assistance from the Pew Center of on the States.
Working groups were created to tackle issues in three areas:
Sentencing and prison admissions
Prison length-of-stay and parole
Community Supervision
The council quickly discovered that the state’s prisons were being filled with non-violent, low-level drug users and property offenders who account for 60 percent of prison admissions. The council found that the majority of the 3,200 drug offenders who were sent to prison in 2010 were classified as low-risk, and less likely to re-offend.
The council recommended that in the future, decisions to incarcerate such low-risk individuals should be carefully weighed, and other options other than prison should be explored.
The Council determined that more resources should be allocated to agencies that supervise Georgia citizens on probation and parole. In the last decade, Georgia saw a 22 percent increase in the number of those on probation, and a nine percent increase in the number of those on parole, while resources provided to parole and probation departments had not increased accordingly. The Council concluded that “…greater investment… and expansion” in this area will reduce recidivism and promote public safety.
The Council also suggested that savings incurred during the implementation of new reform measures can be reinvested in best practices programs proven to have a positive impact on reducing crime, recidivism and danger to the community.
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