New regulation permits Georgians to restrict and seal criminal information

This op-ed is by Nancy DeVetter, a neighborhood legal professional and a Tybee Metropolis Council member.

This 7 days, thousands and thousands of Georgians will have an prospect they under no circumstances had in advance of: the prospect to prohibit and seal their criminal document.

Earlier, Georgia regulation only authorized restriction (what we usually believe of as “expungement” or the system of restricting public accessibility to someone’s prison history) of non-convictions and some convictions for individuals who ended up below the age of 21 at the time of their conviction. Tens of millions of Georgians experienced no option but to continue to bear the stress of blunders they designed 10, 20, or even 50 several years back.

Despite serving their time and completing their sentence, people with legal information continued to experience countless numbers of lawful constraints and the stigma of a felony report. These Georgians can eventually breathe a sigh of aid and obtain the possibilities they have earned, thanks to a new regulation that went into outcome on Jan. 1. 

The new legislation, which passed the Ga Common Assembly previously this calendar year with close to-unanimous guidance, will permit restriction of two misdemeanor convictions for people today who haven’t been arrested in the final 4 many years. It will also let restriction of particular felony convictions if they have been pardoned by the State Board of Pardons and Paroles.