As Georgia state lawmakers tackle juvenile justice reform this year, they also are expected to expand on last year’s overhaul of the adult criminal justice system.In a report released last month that focused mostly on the juvenile justice system, the Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform recommended lawmakers build on efforts to reduce the state’s prison population.Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville, has been a prominent voice in criminal justice reform, particularly for mandatory minimum sentencing reform.He hasn’t seen any legislation yet, but anticipated that juvenile criminal reform would be a prominent issue.“I’m sure that we will see at least legislation that will bring our juvenile justice system to a more modern day approach, and a little bit more discretion with some of the sentencing,” he said.Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh noted that some changes had put increased pressure on his office.“Significant changes in the criminal law and the evidence code do present challenges, but they will be met by this district attorney’s office,” he said. “However, the resources needed to keep talented, experienced prosecutors and support staff serving the community and crime victims effectively should be an important part of any criminal justice reform.”Leigh Patterson, Floyd County district attorney and president of the District Attorneys’ Association of Georgia, elaborated on that sentiment.There are new penalty provisions for certain crimes, and the elements of other crimes have changed so some that used to be felonies are now misdemeanors. Those changes have to be considered as charges are filed and indictments written, she said.“One of the challenges is that at prosecutors’ offices around the state, people haven’t had raises in four years, there’s no new staff that’s been added, and now we have all these new duties and new code sections and a whole new evidence code to learn, on top of keeping up with increasing case loads,” Patterson said.Hawkins said legislators want to reduce unintended negative consequences to district attorneys’ offices.“We’d surely be willing to listen to them,” he said.