Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Accountability Courts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council of Accountability Court Judges asks for expanded funding to serve growing participants and juvenile treatment courts
Summary
The council told the appropriations subcommittee it needs additional recurring dollars to support increased enrollment in accountability courts, implement juvenile treatment courts created by last year's law, and expand technical assistance and training capacity.
The Council of Accountability Court Judges (CACJ) briefed the appropriations subcommittee on the performance and funding needs of Georgia's accountability courts, which include felony drug courts, veterans courts, mental-health courts, DUI courts and juvenile programs.
Judge Brenda Weaver and Taylor Jones, CACJ executive director, said the network now numbers 188 courts and served 8,307 participants last year. CACJ presented data showing lower recidivism among program graduates compared with matched controls and argued that expanding capacity can save the state money by diverting eligible nonviolent offenders from incarceration.
"For a mental-health court graduate, three years post-program completion, their recidivism rate is 24.3 percent," Taylor Jones told committee members, noting a matched comparison group's 55.5 percent rate. Jones said state grant support yields cost savings: for every state dollar invested, the council estimates $6.60 in savings when participants avoid prison.
Budget request and uses: CACJ asked the subcommittee to increase the governor's recommended funding for population growth by $547,581 (for a total of $1,060,125 recommended for FY26) to support an 11.3 percent increase in participants. The council said fully meeting the expected additional demand would require roughly $4.1 million, a figure partially offset by opioid abatement and DBHDD regional awards already secured.
CACJ also requested an additional $499,820 to fully implement House Bill 873, which created juvenile treatment courts. The $5.17 million total the council outlined includes funds for technical assistance, training, a training coordinator position, and targeted support to counties expanding juvenile services (Clayton, Chatham and Henry were named).
Why it matters: Witnesses told lawmakers expanding accountability courts reduces incarceration and state prison costs. The council compared an estimated annual incarceration cost of $27,375 per inmate with an annual accountability-court participant cost of $3,407.
Committee reaction: Lawmakers said they favored diverting nonviolent offenders from prison but cautioned FY26 would be a tight budget year because of rising Department of Corrections costs. Several members asked CACJ for more precise projections of expected participant growth beyond the 11.3 percent figure.
Ending: CACJ said it would supply more detailed projections. No appropriation was voted on at the hearing.
