Chief Justice Hunstein delivers State of the Judiciary
From Ballotpedia
February 18, 2011
Georgia: This week, Chief Justice Carol Hunstein delivered her 2011 State of the Judiciary address. With an underlying focus on the budget, she called for sentencing reform and the creation of more specialty courts. Currently 37 out of 49 judicial circuits have at least one specialty court, which decreases recidivism of those with addiction and mental health convictions.[1]
The speech highlighted some interesting facts about Georgia's judiciary:
- Since 2008, investigations by the Judicial Qualifications Commission have led to the removal or resignation of 22 judges.[1]
- The judicial branch receives less than 1 percent of the state budget, but collects $544 million in fees.[1]
- Georgia's prisons are operating at 106 percent capacity and have the fourth highest incarceration rate in the nation.[1]
The Chief Justice ended the speech by noting the increase in caseloads across all levels of the state courts. Because of rising caseloads, Hunstein requested an increase in the judiciary's budget when the economy improves.[1]
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