The public policy unit traveled to Southeast Georgia for fieldwork to meet with current partners and to strengthen and build relationships to support our work in a range of areas, including, but not limited to youth justice through JUSTGeorgia, the establishment of the Southeast chapter of the Justice Reform Partnership, the expansion of JusticeWatch Georgia, and planning for the 2026 legislative session.

During the trip, staff convened two youth listening sessions, one town hall, and attended a community roundtable with Deep Center’s New Hope City. The unit also went to several courts in the area to observe proceedings for potential sites for JusticeWatch Georgia. While each of the courts operated differently, the PPU noted some common practices and patterns, chief among them being the leveraging of varying levels of punishment to encourage the payment of often-excessive fines and fees. The team also noted the need for increased support for indigent defense counsel.

Observation from Court Watching

In one traffic court, there were more than 200 people on a calendar to address traffic tickets (although not nearly that amount appeared to be in court that day). People with tickets were afforded the opportunity to speak with court appointed counsel, who did not appear to be public defenders. The hearings for the alleged traffic violations were remarkably fast and short, and proceeded without even a cursory acknowledgment of rights. Of the more than three-dozen hearings observed, a majority of them involved a willful reduction of the level of the violation, such as reducing a ticket for speeding more than 15mph over the speed limit being reduced to 14 mph over the limit or less, allowing for the person accused to be spared some points on their license. And while the benefit of such action on the accused person is generally advantageous, the motivation for such leniency, the abbreviated nature of hearing, and every hearing ended with an inquiry as to whether the reduced fee that accompanied the ticket could be paid that day was concerning. After all hearings in this court, the commitment to pay the fine on a date a few weeks in the future was set was accompanied by the potential of imprisonment looming for non-payment.