Ga. Criminal Justice Reform Bill Revises Probation System

The new bill limits probation fees in “pay-only” probation cases, where people are put on probation to pay off fines or debt. The bill also let judges convert fines to community service if people can’t afford to pay fines.

A New Parole Agency

The criminal justice reform bill also lets the governor set up a new state agency called the Department of Community Supervision to oversee all felony probation and parole. The department will combine supervisory services from the Department of Corrections, Department of Juvenile Justice and Pardons and Paroles into one state agency.  

Child Sex Abuse

A bill aimed at giving victims of child sex abuse more time to sue their abusers in civil court was approved by the state legislature and is on its way to Deal. Under the bill, victims of any age, who normally would be locked out of civil court, have from July 2015 until July of 2017 to sue their alleged perpetrators.

The bill also gives all victims the right to sue if they realize their alcoholism or another type of problem stems from being molested as a child. The bill gives Georgians, of any age, two years to sue from when they discover their “injury” is due to childhood abuse.

No-Knock Warrants

Legislation that supporters say was needed to prevent the abuse of “no-knock warrants” failed to gain approval in the state legislature. One of the bills passed a Senate committee, but didn’t get any further because the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jesse Stone, R-Waynesboro, objected to changes made in the legislation. The bill would have raised the standard judges use when deciding whether to grant a “no-knock warrant.”