From Savannah to metro Atlanta to Hall County, the biggest factor seen in the state’s new juvenile code, said Juvenile Court Judge Lindsay Burton, is that “everyone’s talking about more hearings.” On Jan. 1, 2014, the rewritten juvenile code took effect, leading to more hearings and more child representation. Each child in juvenile court is required to have legal representation, which cost $223,000 for Hall County in 2014, Hall County Public Information Officer Katie Crumley said.
New juvenile code leads to more, quicker hearings
Adding counsel for all has cost Hall $233K, but officials say its worth it
