Atlanta, September 5, 2019 – Chief Justice Harold D. Melton has appointed three members to the newly created Georgia Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission:
- Justice Michael P. Boggs of the Supreme Court of Georgia;
- Chief Judge Brian J. Amero of the Superior Court of the Flint Judicial Circuit (Henry County; and
- Judge Sarah S. Harris of the Probate Court of Bibb County.
Under Georgia Code § 37-1-112, the Chief Justice is called upon to appoint one Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia and two judges to the 24-member commission. The Governor, President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives also appoint members.
The commission was created by Georgia Code § 37-1-111 “for the purpose of conducting a comprehensive review of the behavioral health system in Georgia.” The review will on a number of areas, including “the identification of behavioral issues in children, adolescents, and adults,” “the impact behavioral health issues have on the court system and correctional system,” and “the impact on how untreated behavioral illness can impact children into adulthood.”