Atlanta job seekers have an opportunity to clear their records at the Record Restriction (Expungement) Job and Resource Fair.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to noon at the C.T. Martin Recreation Center, located at 3201 MLK Drive S.W. Job seekers will have the chance to review their records and receive advice on which charges may be eligible for removal.
Atlanta City Councilmember Andrea Boone, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Superior Court Clerk Ché Alexander, and Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr. gathered to announce a new initiative aimed at helping eligible residents expunge or restrict their criminal records.
“A criminal record—especially one that’s old or was dismissed—shouldn’t be a lifelong sentence,” Willis told 11 Alive News. “We want to make sure people can move forward and contribute to their communities.”
For some job seekers, clearing a record is a complicated process that often requires costly legal assistance.
“This is about bringing the system to the people,” said Judge Cox. “We’re removing barriers, not adding more,” he told the outlet.
An expungement is the legal process of sealing eligible criminal records on a person’s official criminal history report. This makes those records inaccessible to the public and available only to law enforcement.
To be eligible to have their record expunged, one must have been arrested in a Fulton County jurisdiction, committed certain misdemeanors under age 21, or be a “youthful offender” who has completed a pre-trial intervention/diversion program.
The Fulton County government states that the court will not expunge the record if prosecutors decide not to prosecute the case (nolle prosequi), place it on the dead docket, or dismiss it for any reason, provided that the defendant did not plead guilty, plead no contest, or get convicted at trial.
According to the National Background Screening Association, nearly 95% of U.S. employers conduct background screenings to vet potential candidates before extending a job offer.
The Atlanta City Council, the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, the Superior Court Clerk’s Office, and the Fulton County Superior Court are co-sponsoring the event.
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