Judges and lawyers on Wednesday pointed out ways to reform the judicial system to reverse the trend in crime in Georgia.
A group of judges urged the Senate Public Safety Committee that the state should provide data and technology upgrades, more pre-trial oversight, and better pay in the criminal justice system to fight crime.
Crime has been reported to increase across the state this year. Crime in Atlanta reportedly doubled in the spring. Governor Brian Kemp has allocated $ 7 million to the issue over the past few months, and legislature leaders have called for additional funds to reduce crime.
The committee met for its second meeting on Wednesday to discuss the trends and solutions. Representatives at their last meeting heard testimony from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, and the Georgia State Patrol. Law enforcement agencies called for more mandatory minimum sentences. Cobb County Superior Court judge Tain Kell said Wednesday the harsher criminal laws were flawed guidelines.
“The era of mandatory minimum sentences had its heyday in the 1990s and lasted until Georgia passed the 2011 Criminal Justice Reform Act,” said Kell. “I believe it was a failed experiment, and I believe the data on which the reform laws are based supports it.”
Some prisons are now overloaded. Fulton County Superior Court’s presiding judge Christopher Brasher said Fulton’s prisons had 600 inmates across the border. The Fulton County Commission must decide whether to build a new prison, which could cost around $ 400 million, he said.
Brasher said monitoring criminals while they await a trial has proven crucial in reducing relapses and overcrowded prisons and prisons. Fulton is the only county to provide funding for pre-trial surveillance, Brasher said. The program provides substance abuse and mental health treatment offenders, as well as referrals to other resources. He also said evidence-based programs and data tracking, such as systems for tracking repeat offenders or violent offenders, could also help curb crime.
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Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Georgia Prosecutor’s Council, said there was an imbalance between prosecutors and public defenders in the judicial system.
Skandalakis said the state should spend more money on recruiting and retaining prosecutors and public defenders. Many of the state lawyers have been stuck on the same pay scale since the last recession, Skandalakis said about 13 years ago. He said the current salary for a 10-year-old attorney in district attorney’s offices is around $ 70,000, while the starting salary for a private practice in Atlanta is $ 125,000.
“We’re not saying you pay us what you would in a private practice, but we’re saying you pay people to keep professionals in the courtroom because you need that kind of expertise to help you through them To help make judgments, ”he said.
Skandalakis said the first line of defense against crime is street patrols, who can deter offenders before they commit the crimes.
“I don’t know if we will ever get rid of crime, but we will certainly do something to make your streets safer,” said Skandalakis. “Well, if you’re looking for a magic bullet, I don’t have a magic bullet on how we’re going to solve this problem. I can tell you if you want crime to decrease, invest in these patrol officers.” or state patrols, those people who work on the streets. “
The Senate Public Security Committee will hold a series of meetings to further investigate crime trends and hear testimony from local governments, law enforcement agencies, and others in the community.
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Keywords: News, state, georgia
Original author: Nyamekye Daniel, The central square
Original location: Georgian judges and prosecutors are calling for judicial reforms
