SB 292 will be re-introduced during the 2011 Session.  Work continues through the year.

A hearing on Article 6, the Children in Need of Services section, is scheduled for Monday, August 9th at the Capitol.  Read the story here.

At a hearing in June before the Senate's Juvenile Code Re-write Subcommittee, a possible compromise came up on the issue of  Georgia’s definition of a “child” when it comes to crime.

Georgia law says a child who is the victim of abuse or neglect becomes an adult at 18.  Deprivation cases are handled in Juvenile Court.

The same person, if accused of an act of delinquency, is considered an adult at 17.  The case goes to adult court.

Now a suggestion is on the table to split the issue by raising the age to 18 in misdemeanor cases but leaving it at 17 for felonies. That means a 17-year-old would be tried in juvenile court on a misdemeanor charge but in superior court for a felony.   Read the full story here.

Click the link below for the current version of the proposed Juvenile Justice Code.

http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/fulltext/sb292.htm