In 2012, Georgia embarked on comprehensive juvenile justice improvement to reduce out-of-home placements, protect public safety, reduce costs, and improve outcomes for youth. The policies were expected to save $85 million over five years by ensuring placement in youth facilities was reserved only for youth adjudicated for the most serious offenses. Those savings would, in turn, be reinvested to bolster evidence-based programs in the community through a Juvenile Justice Incentive Grant Program.
Since then the state has seen a 36 percent reduction in youth in secure confinement, an 11 percent reduction in youth detention, and a 46 percent reduction in commitments to the Department of Juvenile Justice. The state has invested $37 million since fiscal year 2014 in a grant program to work with providers of evidence-based community programs for youth.
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