Ga. State Rep. Jesse Petrea touts bill to scrutinize parolees Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta. (Source: WTOC) By Mariah Congedo | April 6, 2021 at 11:48 PM EDT - Updated April 6 at 11:48 PM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A bill passed during this yearâs Georgia legislative session aims to help keep you safe from violent felons.
State Representative Jesse Petrea who represents the Chatham County islands says he has been attacking the issue of parole reform head-on because of the enormity of violent crimes that have happened over the years right in Chatham County.
âMost of those crimes are committed by a small subset of people who commit violent crimes over and over and over again,â said Rep. Petrea.
Every good trial lawyer is an expert at repeating one phrase: “I object.”
Even so, Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones’ recent objection to a parole reform proposal was as befuddling to the public as the legal language in website terms of service agreements. Georgia House Bill 168, introduced by local lawmaker Jesse Petrea and passed by the House last month, is meant to assist prosecutors in challenging the early release of violent felons.
The bill, now being considered by the Senate, is specific to the worst of the worst, such as murderers, rapists, child molesters, kidnappers the criminals that Cook Jones and her colleagues spend so much time and energy to put behind bars.
District attorneys could gain access to the disciplinary files of state inmates accused of violent crimes who are up for a parole after a bill from a Savannah representative cleared the Georgia House floor last week.
The bill, HB168, passed 99-66 on Feb. 18 and was read and referred to the Senate’s public safety committee. Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook-Jones has raised concerns about the bill and describes it as “problematic.”
“It enlarges prosecutorial power unnecessarily and creates too much potential for abuse and discriminatory application,” Cook-Jones said in an emailed statement to the Savannah Morning News.
Lead sponsor of the bill, Rep. Jesse Patrea (R-Savannah), said it is intended to allow district attorneys to see the file of an inmate who is up for parole and offer any objections. The bill stems from the case of Torrey Scott, a serial rapist who murdered one of his victims after being released from prison on earl
ATLANTA (AP) Georgia lawmakers want to give district attorneys access to prisoner disciplinary records to help the prosecutors oppose parole requests. The House voted 99-66 on Thursday to.
ATLANTA — Prosecutors could gain access to otherwise secret files of prison inmates convicted of violent crimes who are up for parole under legislation that cleared the Georgia House of