JUVENILE JUSTICE MATTERS: A NEW JUVENILE CODE FOR GEORGIA
ACTION ITEM: Next Hearing on SB 292: The Child Protection and Public Safety Act
As a member of the JUSTGeorgia coalition, ICM is calling on you to help us bring juvenile code reform to Georgia. The next Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on SB 292: The Child Protection and Public Safety Act is scheduled for Tuesday, March 9, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., in Room 125 of The State Capitol.
The Child Protection and Public Safety Act is a comprehensive reform of Georgia's current Juvenile Code. Not only does it bring order and clarity to the Code, it calls for restorative justice for Georgia's children.
We need your supportive presence at these hearings. Also, contact your state legislators and let them know that you support juvenile code reform and JUSTGeorgia We especially need for you to contact the following members of the Senate Judiciary Juvenile Code Rewrite Sub-Committee:
to find out your state legislators.
JUVENILE JUSTICE MATTERS: A NEW JUVENILE CODE FOR GEORGIA
SB 292 - New Article for Juvenile Code: Children in Need of Services (CHINS)
Senate Bill 292 - The Child Protection and Public Safety Act, which was introduced in the latter part of the 2009 session by Senator Bill Hamrick (R-30th), is the result of the diligence and hard work of the JUSTGeorgia coalition. This legislation is the beginning of the overdue reform needed in Georgia's juvenile justice system. It proposes a Juvenile Code that--
• provides for fair and equal justice for all children;
• makes the law clear for judges, attorneys and parents; and
• provides for intervention and prevention services that help children.
In 2008, the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice reported that it processed 50,594 intake cases. One of the 21st century approaches to prevention, intervention and rehabilitation in this proposed juvenile code revision is a new article Children in Need of Services (CHINS).
"The proposed Children In Need of Services (CHINS) article of Senate Bill 292 - The Child Protection and Public Safety Act will provide more immediate support services and intervention to at-risk children and their families, without formal court involvement. By doing so, these children can be treated in a non-punitive, non-criminalizing way. The purpose is to recognize that a child may not always be responsible for problematic behaviors. By providing appropriate service-focused interventions, a child is more likely to be deterred from future delinquency and involvement in the juvenile and criminal justice systems," reported Julia Neighbors, project manager for JUSTGeorgia."
ICM sees the measures included in the CHINS article as necessary and logical steps to building stronger families and reducing the overwhelming number of Georgia's children entering the juvenile justice system. As a member of the JUSTGeorgia coalition, ICM will continue to travel across Georgia to encourage faith communities to become informed and educated about the proposed juvenile code legislation and the state of Georgia's children in the juvenile justice system and to help faith communities get engaged in becoming part of the solution.
Use this link to find a summary of the key objectives of this legislation: SB 292 Key Objectives.
Read Senator Hamrick's editorial in the June issue of waveLength, the Voices for Georgia's Children newsletter.
Read Georgia Appleseed's: Common Wisdom: Making the Case for a New Georgia Juvenile Code