Georgia Justice Project

Sharing another great great on the signing of SB 105 from Atlanta Civic Circle! Read more here: https://atlantaciviccircle.org//georgia-enacts-new-probat/

Check out this article from on the signing of SB 105! Thanks to The Center Square for highlighting this victory for probation reform! https://www.thecentersquare.com//article_92e47ca2-ac52-11e

GJP is growing! We are hiring an additional attorney to join our reentry and criminal records team. Learn more on the position and how to apply here: https://www.gjp.org//hiring-announcement-criminal-records/

April is #SecondChanceMonth! This week, we are focusing on probation issues in Georgia - one of GJP's areas of policy work. Georgia has more individuals serving probation and parole than any other state in the country - 1 in 18 Georgians. That's more than three times the national average of 1 in 58. GJP saw success this year with SB 105 receiving approval from the Georgia General Assembly, which is now on its way to the Governor's desk to be signed into law. SB 105 provides a... uniform pathway to early termination of probation for Georgians serving a felony probation sentence who have demonstrated they no longer require supervision. This is only the first step - we'll continue to share updates on GJP's work to reduce the number of Georgians under correctional control, and will soon have more information on SB 105 and what it will mean for Georgians.

Special thanks to Senator Brian Strickland (R-McDonough) who introduced #SB105, and Representative Tyler Paul Smith (R-Bremen) who carried in the House! Our gratitude as well to our partners who helped make SB 105 possible including: Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the REFORM Community Supervision Coalition - which includes Faith and Freedom Coalition, REFORM, RestoreUS #Restoreher and the American Conservative Union Foundation!

"'People of color are disproportionately impacted by every aspect of the criminal justice system,' [Doug Ammar, GJP's Executive Director] said. 'The vast majority of individuals under correctional control are those serving a probation sentence. Georgia is one of the few states that continues to give lengthy probation sentences sometimes decades-long well after research says they are useful.'"

Are you applying for an occupational license and have concerns about your criminal record? Have you been denied an occupational license due to your criminal history? Join Georgia Justice Project on Thursday, April 15th for a practical guide on how to get your license with a criminal record. Register at: bit.ly/GJPLicense

Today is the last day to register! Announcing an upcoming Record Restriction Summit in Fulton County on June 17th & 18th! Check out the flyer below to see if you are eligible. Register by TODAY - fultonrestorativejustice.org

Over 50,000 people are arrested in Georgia each year for driving on a suspended license, many of whom had their license suspended due to inability to pay fines. GJP's goal is to reduce the number of Georgians under correctional control, and reduce reentry barriers for formerly incarcerated people. Driver's license suspension reform is a critical area to make second chances possible for Georgians. #SecondChanceMonth

At the Georgia Justice Project we seek not only to provide legal services to people who otherwise could not afford a lawyer, but also to create and demonstrate a new and different way of legally supporting poor families and communities. GJP attorney Ross Brockway recently wrote an article in The Conscious Lawyer about GJP’s relationship-based, restorative model of work, specifically in relation to Ross’ work on child support debt. You can download the September issue here, the piece on GJP begins on page 13: https://www.theconsciouslawyer.co.uk/fifth-issue-pislap/

Georgia recently passed two bills that significantly expand criminal record clearing options for individuals who were convicted - SB 288 and SB 435. Georgia Ju...stice Project took the lead in advocating for and drafting SB 288, which becomes effective January 1, 2021, and will give many Georgians the opportunity to remove convictions from their record and reduce barriers to employment and housing. Join GJP's legal staff and Savannah attorney Nancy DeVetter to discuss the changes to the law and implementation challenges. We will cover all of the current options for clearing criminal records in Georgia. Attorneys who attend will get online access to the 4th edition of our manual as well as updated materials covering SB 288 and SB 435, including template petitions and checklists. Please register early! The size of this class is limited to allow time for discussion and questions. Use this link to register: bit.ly/GJPCLE. We hope to see you on the 30th! See more

GJP recently appeared on a panel discussion regarding Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform - All Georgians Benefit hosted by the Institute for Leadership and Social Impact (ILSI) at the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business as part of their Impact series. Panelists at this discussion included Senator Tonya Anderson (D-Lithonia); Representative Houston Gaines (R-Athens); Doug Ammar, Executive Director, Georgia Justice Project; and Lisa McGahan, Policy Director, Georgia Justice Project. If you missed it, check out the recording here! https://youtu.be/wR_Nnwao7tg

October 13th and 14th are Amazon Prime Days! Don’t forget to choose Georgia Justice Project as your charity of choice using Amazon Smile! By signing up, GJP will receive a portion of your purchases throughout the year. Check out this link below for more information on how to choose GJP. Happy Shopping! https://blog.aboutamazon.com//how-to-sign-up-for-amazonsmi

We're having some technical issues on our Vimeo stream, but you can view the program here on Facebook Live!

Today's the day! Here's the link to join the event, and we hope to see you at 6PM EST! https://vimeo.com/event/338284

GJP's Doug Ammar went on Atlanta & Company today to discuss our upcoming (virtual) Grass Roots Justice Awards! Thanks so much to 11Alive for this spotlight. Bill Liss of WXIA TV News (also GJP Volunteer Attorney) will also be MC of our event! Check out the interview here: https://www.11alive.com//85-caa7da44-4a0a-42e0-b397-fb24eb And sign up for our event here! https://www.facebook.com/events/321962062411057/

We're social distancing at Monday Night Brewing today! Thank you so much to Monday Night and @theraceuc for your support of GJP!