Governor Bill Haslam has appointed members to the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Reform Implementation Council. During the prior legislative session, Governor Haslam proposed, and the Tennessee General Assembly passed, reforms to the state’s juvenile justice system based on recommendations from the Joint Ad-hoc Tennessee Blue Ribbon Task Force on Juvenile Justice.
“This legislation was a positive first step and there is more work to be done with respect to juvenile justice and criminal justice reform in Tennessee,” Governor Haslam said. “This Council will help ensure that reform is pursued in a responsible manner, and judges and other juvenile justice system stakeholders will have a committed team with whom to collaborate on additional changes to strengthen families and make our communities safer.”
The Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 will make Tennessee’s juvenile justice system more effective, improve outcomes for youth offenders, and increase public safety. In addition, the state budget now includes a recurring investment in treatment services for youth.
The Council will promote consistent statewide implementation of the legislation, develop performance measures, consider further policy recommendations, and support improving statewide juvenile justice-related data collection.
The members appointed by Governor Haslam include:
1. Sen. Raumesh Akbari, District 29, Memphis
2. Kathy Benedetto, Senior Vice President of Tennessee Children’s Services, Frontier Health
3. Honorable Andy Brigham, General Sessions Judge/Juvenile Judge, Stewart County
4. Cindy Chappell, Attorney, Nashville
5. Rep. Michael Curcio, District 69, Dickson
6. Dr. Jeff Feix, Director of Forensic and Juvenile Court Services, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
7. Brandon Gibson, Senior Advisor, Office of the Governor (Chair)
8. Rachel Harmon, General Counsel, Administrative Office of the Courts
9. Mike Herrmann, Director, Healthy, Safe and Supportive Schools, Tennessee Department of Education
10. Dr. Mary Karpos, Senior Management Consultant, Tennessee Department of Correction
11. Richard Kennedy, Executive Director, Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth
12. Charmaine Kromer, Executive Director, Youth Villages
13. Ray Lepone, Deputy District Attorney General, Shelby County
14. Debbie Miller, Deputy Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
15. Clark Milner, Deputy Counsel, Office of the Governor
16. Chief David Roddy, Chattanooga Police Department
17. Dr. Altha Stewart, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee Health Science Center
18. Julie Warren, State Director, Right on Crime