Macon Mayor Launches Six Major Justice Reform Initiatives
On Tuesday, June 10, 2025, Mayor Lester Miller announced the launch of six major initiatives aimed at reforming Macon-Bibb County’s justice system during a press conference at City Hall. Standing alongside members of the newly formed Macon Justice and Wellness Task Force, Miller said, “This program begins immediately.”
The initiatives are designed to improve safety, health, and justice outcomes, while providing alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders. Community leaders and justice system partners joined the mayor in support of the reforms, which were developed after months of planning and collaboration. The task force includes District Attorney Anita Howard, Sheriff David Davis, Judge Sarah Harris, Solicitor-General Rebecca Grist, Macon Violence Prevention Coordinator Jeremy Grissom, Public Defender Rick Waller, and others.
One of the key programs, Macon Justice Works, offers a community-based alternative to incarceration for nonviolent offenders, including those awaiting probation resolution or involved in pretrial diversion. Participants will wear electronic ankle monitors, maintain employment if able, and receive behavioral health support and other wraparound services. The consolidated government will cover the cost of monitoring to ensure income level does not prevent participation.
“Based on an early review of inmate information I fully expect to enroll 150 eligible people in this program and begin reducing the population of the Law Enforcement Center,” Mayor Miller stated. He estimated that the program could save taxpayers approximately $2.5 million annually.
The full list of initiatives includes:
- Macon Justice and Wellness Task Force: A multi-agency team that will oversee implementation, evaluate programs, and recommend evidence-based solutions.
- Inmate Audit: A 30-day review of current inmates to assess charges, lengths of stay, service needs, and eligibility for new programs.
- Macon Justice Works: A supervised release program for nonviolent offenders focused on electronic monitoring, employment, and community support.
- Macon InReach Program: Enhanced jail-based support providing case management, peer support, and reentry planning for inmates with behavioral health needs.
- Jail-Based Competency Restoration (JBCR) Program: Mental health and legal education services for inmates found incompetent to stand trial, modeled after successful programs in other Georgia counties.
- Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for Jail Expansion: A planning process for expanding and modernizing the county’s aging Law Enforcement Center to improve safety and conditions.
“We have done it before with MVP. We will do it again with these programs. Together. This is a bold move, for sure—but Macon-Bibb is a bold community,” said Mayor Miller.
“While all that is happening, we’ll be working on the LEC itself,” said Mayor Miller. “A Request for Qualifications – an RFQ – has been issued for companies to bid on the expansion and upgrades of the LEC. We took a tour several weeks ago with the Sheriff and his team to see the conditions for ourselves, and it really drove home what we’ve been discussing: that a new facility is not the panacea to the issues. But we needed to do something about the facility, expanding its space and making significant upgrades.”
The RFQ for the Law Enforcement Center expansion is open for submissions until noon on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
