Very tough love and a Deal family connection

‘This American Life’ profiles a strict South Georgia drug court and reveals Gov. Deal’s personal connection

Hat tip to commenter “Keep This Thread Alive” for pointing out this piece from “This American Life” about the drug court run by Judge Amanda Williams in Glynn County. (You can listen to the program or read a transcript if you prefer.)

The segment covers how Williams runs quite a tight ship at her drug court and spotlights the stories of a few offenders who have had varying degrees of positive and negative experiences with it.

One young woman served a stint in isolation that caused her to almost end her life. Another was incarcerated for something that probably wouldn’t earn her incarceration in other courts, at a cost of $17,000 to taxpayers.

However, a notable tidbit comes near the end of the program, on page 16 of the transcript:
In his inaugural address this January, Georgia’s new governor, Nathan Deal, made a big point of calling for more drug courts as a way to reduce the number of people behind bars and save money. His son, Judge Jason Deal, runs the drug court in Hall County.

Interesting!