Governor Ivey, Alabama Leaders Announce Initiative to Protect Public Safety and Improve Outcomes for Youth, Families, and Communities

MONTGOMERY– Today Governor Kay Ivey, Chief Justice Lyn Stuart, Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh, and Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon announced the formation of the Alabama Juvenile Justice Task Force. The inter-branch, bipartisan Task Force is charged with performing a comprehensive, data-driven review of Alabama’s juvenile justice system and coming to consensus on policy recommendations that protect public safety, hold youth accountable, control costs, and improve outcomes for youth, families and communities. The Task Force will submit a report to state leadership in December with findings and recommendations for consideration during the 2018 legislative session.
“I am committed to improving public safety outcomes from our state’s juvenile justice system,” said Governor Ivey. “This Task Force will build on what is working well in our state and improve what is not.”
The Task Force is made up of 22 members representing a wide range of stakeholder groups, including legislators, law enforcement, judges, district attorneys, public defenders, and others. The group will conduct its assessment of the state’s system by reviewing data from the courts and state agencies, collecting input from stakeholders from across the state, considering strategies tested in other states, and examining how the Alabama system can better align with research about what works best to improve juvenile justice outcomes.
“Alabama does many things right in juvenile justice already,” said Chief Justice Stuart. “However, there is more to be done, and I have faith that the Task Force will come together to carefully review what works in juvenile justice and develop solutions that will keep Alabama communities safe and put youth on the right track.”
“Our Task Force is charged with finding ways Alabama can improve our efforts to protect public safety by preventing juvenile crime,” said Senator Cam Ward. “Working together, we can make sure our state is getting the best return on Alabama taxpayer dollars by focusing our system on strategies that achieve better results for youth, families, and communities.”
“We are calling on Alabama’s foremost juvenile justice leaders to bring us into the next chapter in how our state serves its most troubled youth,” said House Speaker Mac McCutcheon. “The Task Force is committed to developing data-driven options to help put these youth on a path to productive citizenship.”
The membership of the Task Force includes:

  • Judge Bob Bailey, 15th Judicial Circuit
  • Daryl Bailey, District Attorney, Montgomery County
  • Gar Blume, Blume & Blume Attorneys at Law, PC
  • Sonny Brasfield, Association of County Commissions of Alabama
  • Christy Cain, Executive Director, Alabama Children First
  • Derrick Cunningham, Sheriff, Montgomery County
  • Senator Vivian Davis Figures, District 33
  • Representative Jim Hill, District 50
  • Governor Kay Ivey, or designee
  • Judge Adrian Johnson, 2nd Judicial Circuit
  • Representative Mike Jones, District 92
  • Steven Lafreniere, Director, Department of Youth Services
  • Jim Loop, Deputy Director, Department of Human Resources
  • Speaker Mac McCutcheon, House of Representatives, or designee
  • Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh, or designee
  • Cary McMillan, Director, Family Court Division, Administrative Office of Courts
  • Jim Perdue, Commissioner, Department of Mental Health
  • Lyn Stuart, Chief Justice, Alabama Supreme Court
  • Senator Cam Ward, District 14
  • Kay Atchinson Warfield, Department of Education

The Task Force will receive technical assistance from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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Provided by the Office of the Governor of Alabama | governor.alabama.gov