Sen. Bill Hamrick, R-Carrollton, and others introduced a 236-page bill that proposes significant changes to Georgia's juvenile justice system.

Senate Bill 127 covers everything from termination of parental rights to mandated services and mental health issues for children.

There has been wide discussion in the General Assembly and by Gov. Nathan Deal about overhauling the criminal justice system, which costs the state more than $1 billion a year.

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Poll worker Gamble Everett prepares machines in the voting area before the polls opened on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at the polling place at the Park Tavern, 500 10th Street NE in Atlanta. (John Spink/AJC)

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez