Gov. Kemp Criminalizes Teens with House Bill 994

Georgia Governor, Brian Kemp, has proposed house bill HB994 that would criminalize teenagers and prosecute those teenagers as adults if they can be tied to “gang” activity.  This bill, if passed, would take the legal system two steps backward as it will drastically increase the number of crimes listed under gang activity.

Groups including the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights urged residents to express alarm to lawmakers about a bill that “disregards science about brain development” in children and makes Georgia’s already “harsh” gang legislation “worse.” DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston, whose office prosecutes gangs every day, went to a House committee hearing to express her concern with the bill.

This Bill Criminalizes Teens 13-17 Years Old 

  • Charges a child participating in gang activity as an adult.
  • Waves the right for juvenile court jurisdiction.
  • Charges based on probable cause.
  • No time for developmental disability or mental illness.
  • A call to protect our children from a jail death sentence.
  • Adds new crimes to the list that lands a person on the sex offender registry
  • Clear the way for prosecutors to seek civil asset forfeiture orders

Let your state representative know that you are opposed to criminalizing our black and brown children.  Contact your state representative here

Read the associated story in the AJC

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