§ 19-13-71.Definitions
Chapter 13. Family Violence · Article 5. Family Justice Centers · Last amended 2026 · Last verified October 9, 2026
Full Text of § 19-13-71
Plain-English Summary
This section supplies the vocabulary for Georgia’s Family Justice Center Act, the new Article 5 that took effect July 1, 2026. Six terms are defined.
A “Family Justice Center,” or “center,” is a co-located, multiagency service center through which public and private agencies provide coordinated services to victims of family violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, human trafficking and associated crimes. So these centers aren’t limited to domestic violence between spouses or partners. A “participating agency” is any public agency, law enforcement unit, district attorney’s office, nonprofit organization or service provider that delivers victim, social, medical or legal services inside a center. The confidentiality, immunity and records rules in §§ 19-13-76 through 19-13-78 apply to participating agencies.
The “council” is the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, established under Code Section 35-6A-3; under §§ 19-13-74 through 19-13-76 it handles funding, collects performance reports and may issue confidentiality guidance. A “district attorney” is the elected prosecuting attorney for a judicial circuit — one of the officials who may establish a center under § 19-13-72. Finally, “law enforcement unit” and “peace officer” take the meanings given in Code Section 35-8-2 rather than new definitions. Those two terms matter most in § 19-13-73, which lets a peace officer assigned to a center respond to emergencies outside his or her normal jurisdiction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a Family Justice Center in Georgia?
A co-located, multiagency service center that provides coordinated services to victims of family violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, human trafficking and associated crimes, with the services delivered by public and private agencies. The idea is that a victim can reach many kinds of help in one place instead of many.
Do Family Justice Centers only help domestic violence victims?
No. The definition covers victims of family violence, sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, human trafficking and associated crimes. The legislative findings in § 19-13-70 name the same range of victims, and the stated aim is a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach that brings governmental and community providers together in one safe, accessible place.
What is a participating agency at a Family Justice Center?
Any public agency, law enforcement unit, district attorney’s office, nonprofit organization or service provider that delivers victim, social, medical or legal services within a Family Justice Center. Participating agencies operate under the center’s written memorandum of understanding required by § 19-13-72 and are bound by the article’s confidentiality and records rules.
What council oversees Family Justice Centers in Georgia?
The Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, established under Code Section 35-6A-3. Under the article, the council administers gifts, grants and appropriated funds for centers, designates the performance reports centers must submit, sends an annual statewide report to state leaders, and may issue confidentiality guidance and training standards.
How does the Family Justice Center Act define a peace officer?
It doesn’t write its own definition. “Peace officer” and “law enforcement unit” have the same meaning as in Code Section 35-8-2, a section outside Title 19, so a reader needs that section for the details. Those terms matter most in § 19-13-73, which governs emergency responses by officers assigned to a center.
Amendment History
Laws 2026, Act 719, § 1, eff. July 1, 2026.