Changes will allow flexibility in alternative sentencing

Some Cobb officials hope that changes to state law will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by keeping nonviolent criminals out of prison. House Bill 1176, which was passed and signed by Gov. Nathan Deal earlier this year, establishes standards for “accountability” courts, which put nonviolent criminals into rehabilitation programs. Cobb Juvenile Court Judge Juanita Stedman, who formed the county Family Dependency Treatment Court in 2005, said the law will provide partial funding for the county’s drug courts and may allow Cobb to create a mental health court for nonviolent offenders.

Stedman said the program requires offenders to be screened for drugs, see a judge weekly, maintain a job and get an education, if they haven’t already. If they don’t follow the rules, they are sent to jail. “There is no better use of money for folks who are drug addicts and are not violent criminals than accountability courts,” she said. Family Dependency Treatment Court, which is for families of parents who are accused of depriving their children because of substance abuse, currently has a caseload involving 45 mothers, 15 fathers and more than 90 children. That program takes three years to complete.

The Juvenile Drug Treatment Court, which Stedman also oversees, is for juvenile offenders who are either using drugs and alcohol or accused of crimes involving drugs. The one- to two-year program currently has 70 cases.


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