Georgia Justice Project (GJP)

Representation of individuals with current justice involvement:At no cost to clients, GJP provides low-income people accused of a crime in the metro Atlanta area with a combination of legal representation and comprehensive social services, often lasting long after a case is resolved. In addition to representing individuals with pending charges, GJP staff attorneys also assist with early probation termination (Georgia has the longest probation sentences in the country), launched a Warrant Resolution Clinic in 2023, assist with driver's license suspensions related to missing court, and provide legal services for returning citizens at Metro Reentry Facility (MRF), the only prison located in Atlanta. During 2023, GJP's defense team assisted 384 people through representation or consultation. Our goal is to replace repeated arrest and incarceration with wraparound social service support including connections to housing, mental health services, employment, and addiction programs helping individuals and creating safer communities. These services have been rated by the National Institute of Justice, Crime Solutions, as effective in reducing recidivism.Representation of individuals with prior justice involvement:GJP is the only nonprofit working statewide to remove obstacles to employment, housing, and education through criminal record clearing (expungement), assisting 603 individuals through our in-house intake process in 2023. GJP reviews the criminal history of all applicants and assists with all legal remedies for record clearing, which include restriction and sealing, retroactive first offender, pardons, and corrections. We also lead Record Clearing Summits and partnerships state-wide to seal eligible charges from an individuals criminal history and established and operate the first weekly Second Chance Desk in the south located in Cobb County, as well as monthly desks in Athens-Clarke and the Augusta judicial circuit, both established in the fall of 2023. GJP also assists individuals who were denied an occupational license due to their criminal record. 2023 marked the second year of our partnership with Cobb County running the Second Chance Help Desk. The Desk provided weekly consultations and legal assistance for 315 individuals, some of whom had multiple records eligible for clearing. In 2023 GJP also partnered with, and provided technical assistance to, local grassroots and government stakeholders on 10 Expungement Summits/Events/Service Partnerships covering 8 different counties across the state. Counties included Fulton, Macon-Bibb, Athens-Clarke, Douglas, Coweta, Carroll, Houston, and McDuffie. 873 people were assisted through these events with a variety of legal services. Primary partners for events and Desks are local District Attorneys, Solicitors, and judges. Our expungement, record clearing work removes obstacles to employment, housing, and education and increases the wealth building potential of our clients. National studies confirm that wages increase by an average of 22% within one year of expungement and the benefits of expungement outweigh costs by $5,760 per individual.Education/Public Policy:GJP is viewed as a state expert on criminal defense and criminal records and invests significant resources in education and outreach on justice policy reforms and advocates for laws that create positive systemic changes for thousands of Georgians. Since beginning this systemic work, we have successfully advocated for 23 changes in Georgia law, with widespread bipartisan support, that reduce barriers to reentry. Over the last three years, we have focused on ensuring impacted individuals could benefit from the three recent GJP-championed laws - SB 288 expanded access to expungement, SB 105 enabled rehabilitated individuals to terminate their probation early, and SB 10 decreased automatic driver's suspensions for minor offenses, like missing court. GJP also spent time educating and working with employers, so they are aware of new protections in the law for, and the benefits of, Second Chance Hiring. In total, GJP staff presented to 6000 individuals at 127 events through in person and virtual events as a panelist or speaker, including 14 trainings conducted by GJP on a variety of topics.