Thursday, March 29, 2012
© Copyright 2013
Gwinnett Daily Post
ATLANTA (AP) -- A bill meant to overhaul Georgia's criminal justice system and cut costs now heads to Republican Gov. Nathan Deal.
The House voted 162-0 to approve the legislation, which was slightly modified by the state Senate.
The new rules are supposed to emphasize the rehabilitation of nonviolent offenders as a cheaper alternative than incarceration.
Lawmakers have raised the monetary threshold for most theft crimes, addressed mandatory reporting requirements for suspected child abuse and provided restrictions on who can access a jobseeker's criminal record.
Georgia's prison population has more than doubled in the past 20 years to more than 56,000 inmates at a taxpayer cost of more than $1 billion annually.
More like this story
- Top Ga. judge calls for reform of juvenile system ( January 25, 2012 )
- Gov. Deal signs open records law, touts successes ( April 17, 2012 )
- Lawmakers scramble, protest controversial issues on final day ( March 30, 2012 )
- Lawmakers wrangle hefty agenda near session's end ( March 28, 2012 )
- Georgia to consider vast changes to justice system ( November 25, 2011 )
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