What the Georgia Legislature got right in 2012
The single most important accomplishment of the 2012 General Assembly will probably prove to be its far-reaching reform of the Georgia criminal justice system.
“I firmly believe this is a better way to govern our criminal justice system,” Gov. Nathan Deal, an early proponent and architect of the change, said after the bill’s final passage. “It’s win-win: saving lives and saving money. It’s a great change for Georgia.”
The bill recognizes that the state Department of Corrections, which runs our prisons, actually does very little in the way of correcting. Records show that roughly one in three people released from state prison are back in prison within three years, and the reasons aren’t hard to imagine.
A prison record makes it hard to find honest work, especially in a tough economy where even those with spotless records have a hard time getting a job. A lengthy prison term erodes whatever family, economic and social ties the prisoner might have been able to fall back on. And too often, the prison experience hones rather than dulls an inclination toward crime. (All that said, in cases of violent or repeat offenders, a long prison sentence remains the right option.)
Among other things, the bill now awaiting Deal’s signature will begin to divert non-violent offenders on drug and property crimes away from expensive state prison beds and into alternative treatment programs. The state’s parole and probation systems will be bolstered to more closely monitor those who otherwise might be in prison, and those who have been arrested but cleared of crimes will have those records sealed from prospective employers.
All in all, it’s a far-sighted reform that builds on pilot programs here in Georgia and on reforms adopted in other states. And to be frank, it’s more than a little surprising to see a bill that reduces prison sentences for some crimes pass so easily in the Georgia Legislature. (It was approved without a dissenting vote in both the House and Senate.)
That’s testimony to two factors. First, as Deal noted in his inauguration speech back in January 2011, “it cost about $3 million per day to operate our Department of Corrections,” and that cost was projected to rise by $264 million over the next five years. Georgia simply can’t afford to be needlessly punitive any longer.
The second factor is Deal himself. Since taking office, he has worked patiently to unite legislators, judges, prosecutors and others behind the bill, fending off any attempt to turn the issue into a political football. It’s a feat that a Democratic governor would have had a hard time achieving without being attacked as soft on crime, and after barely a year in office, it gives Deal a better record of accomplishment than Sonny Perdue achieved in eight years.
Unfortunately, other examples of success in the recent legislative session are hard to come by. The list essentially amounts to bad bills that have passed but aren’t as bad as they might have been, and terrible bills that had strong backing yet were somehow prevented from passage.
For example, a bill limiting a woman’s right to an abortion to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy has passed and will become law, but without a barbaric provision that would have forced pregnant women to give birth to fetuses that were doomed to die upon birth.
The Legislature also approved a constitutional amendment allowing the state to establish charter schools even over the protest of local school districts. However, the final version does add safeguards to protect funding for traditional public schools. The measure goes on the ballot for approval by voters in November.
Despite those changes, opponents of the measure still argue that it’s yet another step in a campaign to dismantle the public school system and replace it with taxpayer-funded vouchers. They’re right; it is exactly that. And if opponents succeed in getting that message out this fall, it’s very possible that the measure will be rejected on those grounds by Georgia voters.
Besides ethics, the main area in which the Legislature failed to act at all was transportation, and that may come back to haunt the state. Legislators refused to give MARTA the support and flexibility it needs to survive, and they didn’t even take seriously the need to create a regional transit governance board for metro Atlanta. Those failures may make it difficult to convince voters to approve the regional T-Splost come July.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
156 comments Add your comment
Adam
April 4th, 2012
9:33 am
kayaker: You know I saw a video once too about how excited people were that Obama won in 2008. Are you saying when people get excited and have relief on their faces and tears of joy, that necessarily means that what they are relieved and crying tears of joy about are all good things?
Brosephus™
April 4th, 2012
9:33 am
jm
Becky
April 4th, 2012
9:33 am
Do you put your toilet paper on the roll where it rolls off up or down?
Adam
April 4th, 2012
9:34 am
Becky: Skippy
Bosch
April 4th, 2012
9:34 am
I wonder which country jm is going to move to that does not have universal healthcare??
Brosephus™
April 4th, 2012
9:35 am
Public education in this country has a long way to go and the conscientious parents of students know it better than anyone else.
If parents and educators forced politicians to get their damned noses out of the educational system, things COULD improve drastically. Anything politicians get involved in usually ends up more screwed up than it was before their involvement. Our biggest problem with education in this entire country is that politicians are too damned involved in the system.
td
April 4th, 2012
9:35 am
JamVet
April 4th, 2012
9:28 am
Since I am lying about ideologies then can you please educate me on what libs and cons core philosophies are?
Jm
April 4th, 2012
9:36 am
Adam
Of course it’s not easy to up and leave the country if you’re a regular Joe
If you’re rich and your investments are liquid, it’s very easy
Jm
April 4th, 2012
9:37 am
Bro 9:33
I have absolutely no interest in Dubai
Becky
April 4th, 2012
9:37 am
Do republicans wear boxers or briefs when they get them tangled in knots?
Adam
April 4th, 2012
9:37 am
Jm: Then why haven’t all the rich people left, if taxes are so high here and it’s just that darn horrible living under Obama?
josef
April 4th, 2012
9:38 am
This sounds like what can be accomplished even in the worst of environments when common cause can triumph. Prison reform is long overdue across the land and the rates of recidivism lend to lie the whole concept of “Department of CORRECTIONS.” We’ll see how it plays out.
As for the charter schools, my jury is still out, but as someone who spends a good deal of my time in the school house classroom, something has to be done to put the fear of the public, if not the fear of G-d, into that pack of self serving adminstrative hawgs slopping at the trough of the public coffer. This is at least a step in the right direction, imuo.
stands for decibels
April 4th, 2012
9:38 am
jm, you doth protesteth too much.
K-71, I know what recidivism is. I also know that the reform law apparently calls for shorter sentences. I was asking if you knew how the two were related. I guess you don’t.
Heading upstairs.
kayaker 71
April 4th, 2012
9:39 am
Adam, 9:33,
No, I am not saying that. Saying only that a group of good parents recognized that the charter school that was opening in their community afforded their children a chance at a much better education than they were getting in a traditional public school. The tears of joy in the students and parents of those selected spoke volumes about the need for better public education. As to the tears shed when Bozo was immaculated, I cannot speak to that. There are many kinds of tears, Adam and not all are shed for joy.
josef
April 4th, 2012
9:40 am
BROSEPHUS
@ 9:35
Amen, Brother, and amen again…
td
April 4th, 2012
9:41 am
Brosephus™
April 4th, 2012
9:35 am
Public education in this country has a long way to go and the conscientious parents of students know it better than anyone else.
If parents and educators forced politicians to get their damned noses out of the educational system, things COULD improve drastically.
We can spend all the money we want on “education reform” but it will only give us marginal changes until and unless you have parental involvement. When parents become true parents and get involved in the matriculation process of their children then their children succeed in almost any educational environment. When parents are not involved then their children are not successful.
Wade Hampton
April 4th, 2012
9:41 am
Proggie naivety never ceases to amaze me.
.
There is nothing altruistic nor “good” about the “so-called” more lenient sentences for false crimes.
.
The recent changes in our justice sentencing “guidelines” only enable the State to milk more funds from an innocent blunt smoker BEFORE caging him.
.
That paroling business, drug checking, ankle bracelet totalitarian crap is Big money.
.
No victim,no crime.
Brosephus™
April 4th, 2012
9:42 am
something has to be done to put the fear of the public, if not the fear of G-d, into that pack of self serving adminstrative hawgs slopping at the trough of the public coffer.
Remove the redundant layers of administration. If the state decides the curriculum, why is there a need for a system BOE? Can’t the essential administration functions be done by school administrators as opposed to having a whole level of administration between the state and the school?
JamVet
April 4th, 2012
9:42 am
Becky, Kroger crunchy. Creamy peanut butter is an abomination and should be outlawed. (grin)
And don’t worry about the thread drift here. It works for my ADD and besides JB has no problems at all with it – “An Atlanta blog with a little bit of opinion about a whole lot of things.”
td, to what end?
So you could dismiss them out of hand and make up your own definitions out of the Republispeak Dictionary of Made Up Definitions?
But what the hell.
Conservatives are opposed to change.
Liberals are not.
zeke
April 4th, 2012
9:42 am
The relapse rates of criminals shows only one thing- ‘A CRIMINAL IS ALWAYS A CRIMINAL, A MURDERER ALWAYS A MURDERER, A RAPIST ALWAYS A RAPIST, A ROBBER ALWAYS A ROBBER, YOU CANNOT REHABILITATE, IT DOES NOT WORK!!
josef
April 4th, 2012
9:44 am
Becky
Don’t eat the seafood…forget what the Gulf states Tourist boards are saying and listen to the locals…
josef
April 4th, 2012
9:47 am
BROSEPHUS
Yep.
*******
Fresh sheets already? Wow, our boy is back to work…
td
April 4th, 2012
9:48 am
JamVet
April 4th, 2012
9:42 am
Show me some liberal “change” proposal that does not also require a government agency to implement, monitor or control? Where are any lib proposals to end a government program and put the power back in the hands of the people?
This is the type of change we do not need as a nation.
The Thin Guy
April 4th, 2012
9:48 am
Former Governor Lester Maddox said it best: What Georgia needs is a better class of criminals. What am I grateful to Democrats for? The advancement of science. Coupled with My Congressman Hank Johnson’s theory of Island Tipping we now have ClueLess Joe Biden’s theory that fracking causes earthquakes
http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/biden-fracking-can-cause-earthquakes/461456
Back in 1906 Evil Republicans were driving their SUVs to a Tea Party rally in San Fransisco and started fracking and the result was the most disastrous earthquake since Atlantis. When I need lessons in history, science, and logic I naturally turn to Biden and Bookman.
Brosephus™
April 4th, 2012
9:48 am
td
Many parents are disgusted with the overt political crap that passes for our educational system. Education should not be political at all. It’s all about educating the future of our country. Removing the politicians and their bs will do wonders. I’d wager that you would have more parental and teacher involvement once the crap is removed from our system.
kayaker 71
April 4th, 2012
9:53 am
Some of those pesky statistics again……
Nationally, in 2007….rates of recidivism
robbers 70.2%
burglars 74%
larcenists 74,6%
car thieves 78.8%
poss of stolen property 77.4%
illegal weapons possession 70.2%
Additionally, of 300,000 persons arrested in 15 states in 2007, 67.5% of them were re-arrested in five years.
Looks like we are doing a piss poor job of rehab, in Georgia and nation wide.
td
April 4th, 2012
9:54 am
Brosephus™
April 4th, 2012
9:48 am
And who are the education bureaucracy going to be held accountable too? There track record is not very good and they keep changing about every four years to fit this best and greatest way to teach. How many of the next and greatest have worked?
Politicians have gotten involved because of exactly what you have said due to parental frustration.
Brosephus™
April 4th, 2012
9:55 am
Looks like we are doing a piss poor job of rehab, in Georgia and nation wide.
Well, if the system were set up more for rehabilitation as opposed to punishment, those statistics would probably be somewhat better. We do a piss poor job at rehab because there is no attempt to rehab. The system is all about punishing the convict. Until that changes, your statistics will be the same, if not worse.
Paul
April 4th, 2012
9:55 am
Bosch
“Being a capitalist pig is hard work!! Takes a lot of me blogging time away.”
‘s why I’m often working while other people are asleep. And on weekends. As Rupert said of Hermione, “She’s got to sort out her priorities.”
Thanks, Brosephus. That’s what’s so unsettling about weather – doesn’t matter what you do – nature will change course on you and show you just how powerless you are.
Adam
Where in Dallas? I’m on the north side, about ten miles north of DFW airport. ‘Course, it’d be a lot more fun if we diverted to London and had another get-together with USinUK.
Even though she’s abandoned us. We should launch a search and rescue mission.
Becky
“Do you put your toilet paper on the roll where it rolls off up or down?”
I go for sideways. Keeps the guests wondering.
Brosephus™
April 4th, 2012
9:58 am
And who are the education bureaucracy going to be held accountable too?
The very same parents who vote. There is little to no reason for politicians to get involved in the educational system other than to appropriate money as necessary. All other decisions should be put in the hands of the people who actually run the system. Expecting politicians to make the educational system better is no different than going to your favorite mechanic for gall bladder surgery.
Parents vote. If the administration doesn’t get it right, parents will give them the boot. The educational system did not have a “bureaucracy” until politicians got involved. Remove the cancer (politicians) and the patient will get better.
Mary Elizabeth
April 4th, 2012
10:04 am
“Despite those changes, opponents of the measure (state charter schools’ amendment) still argue that it’s yet another step in a campaign to dismantle the public school system and replace it with taxpayer-funded vouchers. They’re right; it is exactly that. And if opponents succeed in getting that message out this fall, it’s very possible that the measure will be rejected on those grounds by Georgia voters.”
===========================================
You have written the truth on this issue, and you have communicated it to many. Thank you.
JV McMillan
April 4th, 2012
10:10 am
In Georgia, there is basically NO effort by the state at rehabilitation, only warehousing. Georgia has been pretty strenuous in its efforts to prosecute and sentence its citizens at a rate not seen anywhere else. Right now, one in every 70 Georgians is either incarcerated or serving probation/parole. When you go to the movie theater, grocery store, church, etc.look around you. You are breathing the same air as either active probationers/parolees or ex-offenders, guaranteed. Georgians are not worse people than others. Its laws are oppressive and archaic. This new legislation is a step in the right direction, however, and I give kudos where kudos are due.
Adam
April 4th, 2012
10:10 am
kayaker: Thank you for confirming, once again, that you are completely inconsistent.
n
April 4th, 2012
10:44 am
Now the prison millions will be diverted to private probation companies and private “alternate treatment facilities.” Just another form of crony capitalism at work. That’s why it passed so easily.
Freedom Riders from L.A.
April 4th, 2012
10:53 am
Lowriders…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU27XO5vB2k
Beverly Fraud
April 4th, 2012
11:08 am
Was there a bill that EMPOWERS (rather than blames) teachers to hold students accountable for academics AND behavior (that includes having the right to maintain the sanctity of the classroom learning environment by removing chronically and severely disruptive students?)
Was there a bill that protects teachers from administrative RETALIATION (such as, for example, if a teacher wants to raise concerns about WIDESPREAD, MASSIVE cheating?)
The answer in MULTIPLE CHOICE format-since we seem to love that so:
A) Yes
B) Are you kidding?
C) and this is why education CONTINUES to be fubar in Georgia
D) Both B and C
Matti
April 4th, 2012
11:34 am
Echoing Mary Elizabeth, re: “Despite those changes, opponents of the measure still argue that it’s yet another step in a campaign to dismantle the public school system and replace it with taxpayer-funded vouchers. They’re right; it is exactly that. And if opponents succeed in getting that message out this fall, it’s very possible that the measure will be rejected on those grounds by Georgia voters.”
Let’s DO get that message out! I’m frequently confused by those who claim we have too much government, but then support amending the Constitution to provide more power to a centralized authority and/or deny rights to individuals or local authorities. Quality public education available to EVERYBODY is what enabled this nation to thrive. The factions that seek to defund public education are tireless, and their agenda is about what’s good for the few, not the future of this state or this nation.
Comments from Dekalb
April 4th, 2012
12:33 pm
I agree we have all too long relied on a “one size fits all” corrections model. I am cautiously optimistic some of these changes will not only reduce cost but possibly also outcomes.
But the elephant in the room remains why do we in Georgia have so much crime, especially violent crime? There are obviously many factors that contribute to this fact from poor education, social pressure (e.g. gang associations), poor economic prospects, etc. Until we understand these drivers and address the underlying reasons for violent crime, this will continue to be a blight on this state.
Billybob
April 4th, 2012
12:49 pm
fyi….leftist media has started to blame the court for obamacare being unconstitutional instead of looking at the truth of it actually being unconstitutional……….easy to expose in the coming days and months……….blame game is a loser for obama in nov so keep it up libs………finn, did you pass out yet?
Billybob
April 4th, 2012
12:53 pm
pelosi saying that she never really thought about obamacare being unconstitutional…….speaks for itself and shows again how the intellectually superior mantra libs have given themselves is quite fictional
Corey
April 4th, 2012
12:59 pm
Remember when the new Cobb County court house was being built? The tough on illegals crowd demanded background checks on the construction workers in hopes of catching some “illegals.” They did snare to black guys for back child support, and they were arrested at the work site. This means they cannot pay the back child support because they are locked up, but we will still have to provide for their offspring through public assistance. You gotta love it.
Comments from Dekalb
April 4th, 2012
1:10 pm
Billybob, how do you come up with your fantasies?
First of all, any Congressman, Senator, President, etc. knows that any law enacted by Congress and signed into law by the President according to the Constitution, is always subject to a constitutional challenge.
When I was a Congressional aide many years ago one of the first things we did was to look for the constitutiuonal basis for any proposals, amendments, etc. we were considering. Was the proposal firmly rooted in an enumerated power such as the power to tax or anchored to one of the broader and more tenuous powers that have been recognized by the Court such as the Commerce Clause.
So before this bill ever made its way through Congress or was discussed with the White House, one or more constitutional justifications were identified. Any attorney worth his or her salt know that for every action there must be a reason and you must anticipate a challenge.
Time will tell what the Court will do with the ACA. If I were a betting man I think there is a good chance the court will not strike down the law in its entirety but several provisions tied to the individual mandate will be severed and struck down.
But I’m not sitting in conference with the Justices so I can only speculate.
Billybob
April 4th, 2012
1:11 pm
jay
anything on media matters…..obama’s puzzling words called out by the court…….. the ethics of holder and white house …….?
Billybob
April 4th, 2012
1:24 pm
comment from dekalb,
fantasy? i’ve seen and heard pelosi’s comments so that is truth……….i understand your point and believe that as well except for the fact of obama’s own words?……..you dismiss the fact that this bill would fundamentally change the relationship b/t me and my gov’t and the defense of obamacare shows they put up a hail mary pass………an obama demanding we do what he wants, uses energy like he wants, and doing our fare share? like he wants and the gov’t power to force that on me through ever expanding rights given in obamacare, I say no thank you………..
Jack
April 4th, 2012
1:27 pm
Let ‘em out early, let ‘em late: recidivism is a fact of life.
ken
April 4th, 2012
2:06 pm
Is Van Jones a Communist or a Capitalist ? He is a friend of Obama. Birds of a feather stick together.
Bernie
April 4th, 2012
4:58 pm
The Funny part about this revelation on reforming the crimminal justice system is nothing new. it only took the Georgia legislature (10) ten years to realize what the experienced experts and other states realized some time ago. Locking up all criminals is not the cure all answer to ALL criminal acts. Just think of the tens of millions of dollars spent that could have been saved and/or used in a more cost efficient manner. Just as in the push for charter schools and the infamous voucher student paymens many are wishing and dreaming of at the State capital, will only provide short term and marginal successes as well. Ten (10) years from now you will be reporting as well that the traditional public education system is the most cost effective way to to provide the highest quality of education for “ALL” of Georgia’s children.
Mr. Tullios
April 4th, 2012
5:10 pm
Let’s see..start diverting drug/petty crime offenders to “alternative treatment centers”. And just exactly who OWNS these centers? Who are the silent partners? Deal is a crook and so are 90% of the elected idiots under the dome. I’d bet alot of payola changed hands all round the dome to get this 1 passed.
Remember, this is the same crew that beat down ANY attempt at passing a truly meaningful ethics law of any kind.
Kim
April 4th, 2012
5:48 pm
It seems apparent that Chip Rogers, Tommie Williams, and many of their GOP colleagues are anti public education. It also seems apparent that our GOP legislature is anti woman.
Project Dreamz
April 4th, 2012
5:54 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP6Mcvgdrtg&ob=av2e
shady
April 4th, 2012
5:58 pm
Yeah, they are going to pay for this DUMB, STUPID ABORTION BILL, CHARTER SCHOOLS BILL, AND THE DRUG TESTING BILL!
Decatur Joe
April 4th, 2012
9:59 pm
This charter school constitutional amendment is exactly what people in Georgia are looking for on both sides of the isle. For Democrats, there is the opportunity to serve students in underserved communities; students who attend drop out factories with no other options. For Republicans, this is providing communities with the ability to control their own destinies. Charter schools are run by their own board of directors, which places decision making to those closest to the community. I applaude Governor Deal and hope our state backs him and passes this amendment come November.
Logicon
April 6th, 2012
6:09 pm
I believe the prisons are fovercrowded because of onerous laws that don’t uphold the Constitution. The same kind of of laws as Prohibition, that caused more crime, because you can’t control personal habits, such as smoking, drinking, drugs, eating fattening foods, unsafe sex.
My son had a busted hernia, which was sticking clear out of his stomach on the outside and was infected. He could not get an operation because he didn’t have insurance, so he was taking pain pills until he could get scheduled as indigent. While he was waiting, he was arrested for having pain pills and given four years prison time. They let him out long enough to get his surgery and then had to go right back in prison. That is what is wrong with our prison system.
oblama
April 9th, 2012
5:31 pm
My names not Sparky but yours is now “Dud”. In the past, not to brag but to prove a point, I stated that I have a Finance degree and a Pharm D (Dr. of Pharmacy) from UGA and I have a PHD in Physics from “The Albert Einstein School of Medicine” in NYC. Obviously I am a scientist. I once taught Physics at Emory University. I know more than a few scientists. I never said a scientist would falsify the results of their study to make a living. I said that some scientists get Fed government grants to study obscure projects that are just a waste of money in order to get paid. That’s not illegal if the government is dumb enough to fund it. By the way, I have not given my opinion on global warming though it is a fact that climates have had radical changes even way before humans were burning fossil fuels on Earth. Next time if you don’t have anything worth saying – don’t say it.
oblama
April 9th, 2012
5:33 pm
gone today – here tomorrow
Jose
April 9th, 2012
7:50 pm
This is another scam by the Taliban Christian leadership of Georgia that know parole violations will increase the prison population. When this “expected” outcome appears the Taliban will miraculously conclude that prison/slave labor is needed to replace the undocumented work force that left due to the immigration leglislation. Georgia will then have won the Civil War and slavery will be back in full force.
Well done Georgia!