A recent study by the Legal Action Center in Washington, D. C., ranked Georgia as the third worst state in the nation for the number of legal barriers confronting individuals with a criminal record.  The overall impact of these roadblocks to re-entry for ex-offenders--or even those simply arrested--constitutes a significant social and economic drain on the country and particularly, the state of Georgia.

Many individuals who relapse and return to the cycle of poverty and crime do so out of desperation with the multitude of structural barriers that await them upon their release from prison--in areas of housing, employment, public assistance, and voting rights, amongst others.  These individuals find hope for the justice they are promised in Georgia Justice Project's most recent initiative--COMING HOME, a civil justice restoration program that, in conjunction with Mercer University School of Law and Georgia law firms, identifies and dismantles the barriers to re-entry that plague those released from the criminal justice system.

Launched in January 2008, there are three distinct components of COMING HOME:  first, a research clinic hosted at Mercer University Law School has generated a comprehensive study of barriers facing re-entry in the state of Georgia; second, GJP staff attorneys and area volunteers aggressively represent indigent clients who are denied work, housing, loans, and public assistance because of prior criminal arrests and convictions; third, and perhaps most significantly, COMING HOME calls for the development and execution of a strategy to effect legislative change in Georgia that minimizes and/or eliminates barriers to re-entry. 

Research:  This ongoing study continues to provide legal background for the representation of indigent clients by GJP and other agencies and allows for the development and implementation of strategies to create legislative and administrative change in Georgia.  In early 2008, a class was taught at Mercer University Law School on the topic helped advance the preparation of the Study along with a survey conducted on the civil and legal environment in Georgia that creates barriers to re-entry.

Direct Service:  Increasingly, poor people are denied work, housing, educational loans and basic public assistance because of prior criminal arrests and convictions.  In the past, GJP has assisted these individuals.  COMING HOME enhances and expands services previously provided by GJP staff attorneys and is supported by volunteer lawyers from Atlanta-area law firms who play a pivotal role in the representation of clients.  Current COMING HOME clients are referred by collaborating agencies including The Center for Working Families, Whitefoord Community Center, and other organizations serving the poor.

Policy Advocacy:  The study referenced above includes the development of strategies to foster administrative and legislative change in Georgia.  This goal will be accomplished by the identification and analysis of significant roadblocks in Georgia in areas like employment and housing.  A comparative analysis of other states will also be conducted.  After the study is completed, efforts will be made to implement feasible administrative and legislative changes in Georgia.

Georgia Justice Project offers hope for a new criminal justice system that moves beyond harsh and punitive sentencing and instead focuses on a more purposeful objective--building capacity in our nation's underserved criminal and criminally accused population.  By empowering those released from prison, we believe that, with your help, GJP can stem the tide and move Georgia in a postive direction.

GJP’s Coming Home Program has been developed and is coordinated by Equal Justice Works Fellow and Staff Attorney Marissa McCall Dodson.  Equal Justice Works has just issued a new release about their 2008 flight of fellows.  Please read 2008 EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS FELLOWS BEGIN PUBLIC INTEREST PROJECTS.