Criminal Record Expungement Event Scheduled For Jan 27

ATLANTA, GA — Fulton County Solicitor General Keith E. Gammage and a consortium of Georgia Labor Unions, along with community partners, will offer criminal record expungements of a person’s arrest history at the Labor & Government Restorative Justice Freedom Summit.

The event will be held at the I.B.E.W. Building at 501 Pulliam Street SW in Atlanta from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27. Free parking is available.

Expungements, also called record restrictions, are a legal process that can clear arrests, charges and minor blemishes from a citizen’s criminal record. One of the biggest impediments to civil rights and employment in our country is a criminal record. In Georgia, it is estimated that 3.8 million people have a criminal history, over one-third of Georgia’s population. Fulton County’s first-ever record restriction summit was held in October 2016, where 75 percent of those attending had one or all of their arrests cleared from their records.

“A criminal record can be a major barrier in seeking employment, housing and education," said Fulton County Solicitor Keith Gammage. “It is more beneficial to us as a society to allow decent citizens the opportunity to work and live productive lives than to be held back by minor, youthful missteps resulting in a misdemeanor arrest. By clearing your criminal history as much as possible, citizens are granted freedom to seek better opportunities to improve their lives.”

Those eligible for expungement of their criminal record are individuals arrested but not convicted of a misdemeanor from any Fulton County law enforcement agency. The process to expunge a charge usually takes in excess of 150 days with much of the process being driven by the individual citizen obtaining key documents from agencies. Now the process is expedited through this one-day event where citizens will walk away with renewed opportunities in mere hours. Pre-registration is strongly recommended to avoid long lines and walk-ins are welcomed.

On site resources will include an ex-offender job fair and interviews, housing assistance for ex-offenders, free legal advice from Alston & Bird’s volunteer lawyers and voter registration.

For pre-registration and more information, please visit FultonRestorativeJustice.org or call the Solicitor General’s Expungement Division at (404) 612-4803.

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