Juvenile parole board proposed for Georgia

Legislation was proposed this week that would create a parole board for juvenile offenders.

Senate Bill 105 would establish a three-person panel to establish rules and guidelines for paroling felons.

Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, the sponsor of the bill, explained that convicted juveniles do not have a parole system now, and that he hoped the state would create a rehabilitation program as an alternative to incarceration. Putting a juvenile in a detention center costs more than $200 a day, Jones said.

Georgia has the fourth-highest incarceration rate in the United States, costing taxpayers $1 billion a year. Gov. Nathan Deal has proposed cutting incarceration rates by creating drug courts and other alternatives to prison.

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