Peer Review

Georgia’s accountability courts must be peer reviewed every three years to maintain certification and to be eligible for state grant funding. Peer review creates a two-way learning environment for courts to improve adherence to standards and best practices, and to share ideas that will improve operations. 

Peer teams are typically made up of a judge, coordinator, and treatment provider from a similar court. Peer teams are trained before going out in the field. A CACJ staff member will also attend each peer review to ensure consistency in the process and assist with logistics.

Most peer reviews occur as a two-day, in-person site visit. While onsite, the peer team will: 

• Observe staffing and status hearings; 
• Conduct interviews with team members; 
• Conduct a focus group with a selection of participants; 
• and provide some immediate feedback through an exit interview with the team.

Once the peers and CACJ staff return home, they will draft a report of their findings that will outline the court’s strengths and areas for improvement. The report will be sent to the court for review and feedback. That report should be used to make program improvements.