Todd Markle, executive counsel to Gov. Nathan Deal, state Rep. Jay Neal, R-Lafayette,  Fulton County Chairman John Eaves and Clayton County  Chairman Eldrin Bell all agree Georgia has to quit just locking up drug offenders and non-violent criminals.

It costs too much and released offenders can't find jobs. Deal has established a Criminal Justice Reform Council to tackle the issue.

They met at the Fernbank Science Center Wednesday to be part of a symposium put on by an organization that helps prisoners who finish sentences. Jobs, housing and drug counseling are three key factors in keeping ex-cons from becoming convicts again.

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks alongside then former president and presidential hopeful Donald Trump at a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)

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Rose Scott signals as "Closer Look" goes on the air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray for the AJC 2023)

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