Probation System Reform Bill Moves On To Gov. Nathan Deal
Georgia lawmakers have a passed a key part of Gov. Nathan’s Deal’s criminal justice reform package for this year, that would reform and restructure much of the state’s probation system. The state Senate passed the bill, HB 310, on Friday.
The bill will make changes to the state’s probation system for misdemeanors, or minor offenses. It would also create a new state agency, called the Department of Community Supervision, to oversee felony probation and parole.
About 80 percent of Georgia’s probationers are supervised by private companies that contract with local governments. Critics have said the system has led to abuse, especially for poor offenders. And a state audit last year found a lack of oversight, allowing companies to collect more money from people that was originally owed.
The new bill limits probation fees in cases that are “pay-only,” where people are put on probation to pay off a fine or debt.
“It certainly stops the financial trap that some individuals have found themselves in in pay-only probation cases,” said Thomas Worthy, co-chair of the Council on Criminal Justice Reform, which made recommendations that were included in the bill.
The proposal also lets judges convert fines to community service if people can’t pay their debt.
The bill only needs the governor’s signature to become law.
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