ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — In Georgia, more than one in four people they’re released from the justice system end up back in it — a cycle that strains courts, families, and taxpayers. Some judges are now turning to civics-based education programs as a possible way to slow the return of those trends.

Walton County Judge Mike Burke sees the pattern regularly in his courtroom.

“Everything is a gateway,” Burke said. “I’m going to see them more, they’re going to see me more, and every time it gets more serious, more often, more serious, more often until it’s either prison or they’re dead.”

Georgia’s three-year felony reconviction rate is about 27%, according to the Council of State Governments. Each time someone returns to jail, taxpayers spend roughly $23,000 a year to incarce

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