EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT

This not only helps individuals seeking good jobs and economic opportunity, but also helps employers seeking to find and retain qualified workers amid growing labor shortages.

More than two decades ago, when GJP started our criminal records direct service work, we engaged with employers as a way to learn and understand their concerns about—as well as their interest in—hiring people who have an arrest or conviction record. We held numerous employer roundtable events aimed at this goal. GJP continues to host employer events and is frequently invited by Chambers of Commerce, HR professionals, workforce development organizations and others to articulate the business case for second chance hiring, explain what Georgia’s record clearing laws mean for employers, and give guidance on how companies can remove unnecessary barriers in their recruitment, screening, and hiring policies and practices. (See below for recordings and resources from those events.)

We are grateful to partner with the businesses community and chambers across the state, including the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Atlanta Chamber, in both educating the public and, often, in advocating for policy changes.

Since 2020, both Chambers have helped GJP advocate for legislation that reduces barriers to employment and increases opportunities for individuals impacted by the criminal legal system.

Specifically, the Chambers were instrumental in helping pass: 

• SB 288 (2020) that for the first time allows Georgians to restrict and seal many old convictions from their record  
• SB 105 (2021) that allows individuals serving long felony probation sentences to terminate their probation early if they meet certain milestones 
• SB 10 (2022) and HB 926 (2024) that simplified license reinstatement after missing traffic court and made license reinstatement more affordable for low-income Georgians 

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Chamber continue to partner with GJP to advocate for legislation that would provide a fair chance at careers in licensed fields and improve Georgia’s record-clearing laws, so they provide a true second chance as intended.     

Our partnerships with employers and chambers are rooted in the understanding that the changes we advocate for help not just those with arrest and conviction records, but also benefit the business community through a stronger workforce and increased public safety through reduced recidivism.