Government
Programs/Traffic Court
Dekesha Bridgeforth, Program Coordinator
(478) 542-2060 ext. 4
Email: [email protected]
Court Diversion Programs
CHINS (Children in Need of Care)
O.C.G.A 15-11-380
Specific Goals:
- Keep kids out of court
- Keep kids out of foster care
- Keep kids out of detention
- Keep kids in the community
- Keep kids in school
First Offenders
The First Offenders Program is a court diversion program that is offered to juveniles who have committed their first offense. The purpose of the class is to prevent a juvenile from having a record with the court. The class is generally 2-3 hours and is offered in the evening. The juvenile and parent/guardian are required to participate. If the juvenile completes what is required of him/her, the case will be dismissed.
Houston County Judicial Citizen Review Panel
The Houston County Judicial Citizen Review Panel consists of trained volunteer panel members. Children who are in foster care are required to have a review of their case. Panel members make recommendations to the Juvenile Court Judge.
Note: At this time, our court has a full panel of active volunteers. If you would like to be considered as a potential volunteer in the future, please feel free to contact Dekesha Bridgeforth at [email protected].
Traffic Court
Our Court handles traffic court for juveniles under the age of 17 years. It is a mandatory court appearance. A child and/or parent may not pay the ticket in lieu of the court appearance. For more information, please contact Dekesha Bridgeforth at (478) 542-2060 ext. 4.