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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Constituent Services Director Vesna Kurspahic helps a student with his service academy application at U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick’s office in Cumming, Ga., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. Kurspahic is constituent services director for Congressman Rich McCormick. During the government shutdown, she is handling a caseload of roughly 250 requests without receiving any salary. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com