Paulding Superior Court Judge Dean Bucci was keynote speaker at the Chamber of Commerce’s Georgia Power Luncheon in Dallas last week. Judge Bucci, keynote speaker for the public service awards event, spoke to Paulding business leaders about root causes of crime and reasons for our justice system often serving as a revolving door for offenders.
“If you visit our courtrooms you can see the impact it’s having on our justice system. It’s epidemic. Drug-involved offenders crowd our dockets, our jails, and our prisons. The question is: what should we do about it?”
Judge Bucci heads up Paulding’s newly established felony drug court, which Paulding’s Board of Commissioners approved last year and laid the groundwork for.
Paulding’s drug court is intended to help reduce the rate of recidivism and Judge Bucci endorsed local officials for adopting a drug court program as an alternative to better deal with crime and the bigger problem of repeat offenders.
Bucci said that building more prisons for the purpose of then attempting to warehouse or place out-of-sight drug-addicted felons is to rely on a system that is unsustainable.
Georgia incarcerates about 58,000 annually and is the fourth largest prison population in the nation, which works out to about one in 13 citizens. $1.1 billion in tax dollars is spent to run the state’s prison system.
This year, Bucci told Paulding business leaders, the problem of the cost of corrections in the state was expected to cost another 264 million over the 1 billion it’s already costing. And a large percent of offenders will return to prison within three years, he said, and added that many of those will be back within the first year. Of the roughly 18,000 released each year by the department of corrections, about a third of them are reconvicted on new felonies.
But with the passing of HB1176 state lawmakers began to change this by providing funding to establish accountability courts statewide as an alternative method to dealing with the problem, he said. Not a new notion, but most likely the wave of the future, these accountability programs involve more intensive sentencing alternatives for offenders involving intensive treatment and responsibility for the offenders to take on. Rather than quarantining them out of the environment they remain active, but accountable for the duration of the program, Bucci said.
Bucci said that some positive impact can also be seen in prison populations dropping as programs like Paulding’s felony drug court assist more offenders to transition back into productive lives as citizens.
Paulding’s Board of Commissioners green-lighted the opportunity to establish a felony drug court program last year when they voted to accept a grant from the state, adding Paulding to the growing list of court systems throughout the state now pursuing similar programs. Said to be challenging to get through, the reward to those who meet the requirements of the program is a fresh start away from drugs, crime, and prison.

Also--in various shots--are Left to Right: Paulding Chamber Interim President Mike Mason, Keynote Speaker Judge Dean Bucci, (Paulding County Fire Chief Joey Pelfry) and Paulding Chair, Christine Mullinax last week in Dallas.

Sandy Scarbrough, critical care paramedic, Metro Atlanta AmbulanceOfficer Joseph Scott, Dallas Police Dept.Officer Stephen Johnston, Hiram Police Dept.Thomas C. Cole, deputy chief district attorney, Paulding Judicial Circuit District Attorney's OfficeJessica Hylton, training manager, Paulding County E911Officer Rick Mahan, Paulding County Marshal's OfficeCaptain Clint Lankford, Paulding County Sheriff's OfficeFirefighter Brandon Maple, Paulding County Fire Department