GJP'S POLICY AGENDA
Georgia Justice Project’s mission is to reduce the number of Georgians who are under correctional control and remove barriers to reentry. Our four policy priorities for the 2024 legislative session are listed below. You can learn more about GJP's history and approach to policy in this report.
A one-page summary of GJP’s 2025 policy priorities is here.
- 1 in 6 Georgia jobs requires an occupational license. The 40% of Georgians who have arrest or conviction records may be barred or discouraged from filling these jobs – even if their record is old, pardoned, or expunged.
- Transparency and ensuring only relevant records lead to licensure denial will empower thousands of qualified Georgians to apply their talents to urgent workforce needs.
RECORD RESTRICTION: Clean Up and Modestly Expand Current Law
- Restriction Works: after record restriction, wages increase and recidivism plummets.
- Substantial reforms allowed for restriction of certain convictions in 2020, but small issues need to be cleaned up to make the law work for more Georgians.
- Also, modernizing the First Offender Act will allow it to live up to its promise, preventing a one-time mistake from resulting in a lifetime of barriers.
SURVIVOR JUSTICE: Prevent Criminalization, Provide Re-Sentencing, Enable Alternatives
- Victims of domestic violence often find themselves as defendants in criminal cases for merely trying to survive. Updating Georgia code to reflect modern understanding of domestic violence will prevent unjust convictions and mitigate lengthy sentences.
- Also, victim-centered programs allow crime survivors to seek healing through a facilitated process. Programs like Restorative Justice create paths for accountability and restoration; adding a privilege to the evidence code for these programs would enable them to flourish.
ELIMINATE UNNECESSARY INCARCERATION: Count Time Served Consistently
- Recent case law reversed longstanding practices that acknowledged time served in jail for those awaiting probation revocation hearings.
- Treating time served in jail while awaiting a probation revocation hearing the same as time served while waiting for an adjudication of guilt in a new case reduces unnecessary incarceration.
For more than 35 years, Georgia Justice Project has advocated for individuals and communities affected by the criminal legal system – whether those currently facing charges, preparing to return home from incarceration, or living with an old criminal record. Our experience on the ground with our clients feeds directly into our policy work. Recent accomplishments include:
- SB 288, Expungement Reform (2020): A coalition of 6 major corporations, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, 77 partner organizations, and legislators from both parties teamed up to pass SB 288, making 1.5 million Georgians eligible for expungement.
- SB 105, Early Termination of Probation (2021): Georgia has the longest probation sentences in the U.S. SB 105 simplified and standardized early termination of probation.
- SB 10/HB 926, Driver’s License Suspensions (2022/2024): Driver’s licenses mean jobs. SB 10 and HB 926 reduce license suspensions and provide a clear path for reinstatement after missing traffic court.
For more information about our current policy agenda or to share your story, please contact:
Wade Askew, Policy Director
Phone: (404) 827-0027, ext. 214
Email: Wade@GJP.org