The Voices of Hope Choir from Arrendale State Prison performed at the Reentry Summit in Macon where Governor Nathan Deal signed three new criminal justice bills into law.

The Voices of Hope Choir from Arrendale State Prison performed at the Reentry Summit in Macon where Governor Nathan Deal signed three new criminal justice bills into law. / GPB

Governor Nathan Deal has signed three new criminal justice reform bills into law.

 

Deal picked an audience of corrections, parole and non-profit workers at a convention called the Reentry Summit in Macon to sign the bills. The first of the three laws will affect funding for alternatives to prison time like the state’s drug courts, a place Deal says he tells his pastor friends to visit for sermon material.

Listen To The Voices Of Hope Choir From Arrendale State Prison At The Reentry Summit

"It is the ultimate example of redemption," Deal said of drug court during remarks before signing the bills. "And we all ought to be in the business of redemption."

Another new law gives judges more options for young people accused of serious crimes but who are found incompetent to stand trial. And the final new law means you will get a note in the mail before the traffic ticket you blew off turns into a bench warrant in your name.

 

 

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