An Augusta Commission committee voted to pay up to $10,000 for a virtual state court records restriction summit that will allow Richmond County court officials to expunge two misdemeanor criminal offenses from a defendant’s record.
State Sen. Harold Jones, who co-sponsored Senate Bill 28 that allows the record to be erased, told commissioners Tuesday the bill is a major change in state law.
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“For the first time in Georgia’s history — if you’re actually convicted — you can have your record expunged,” he said. “The record restriction does not apply to some sexual offenses or family violence. But before now, you could not get your record restricted if you had a conviction,” Jones said. “Now, if you have a conviction for a misdemeanor, actually two misdemeanors, quite frankly, and you’ve not had any convictions in a four-year period of time, you can do an application process to have your record restricted.”
The law actually went into effect last year but because of the pandemic, there wasn’t an opportunity to get the ball rolling on the summit, Jones said.
“There’s a lot of persons out there that are going to be eligible for this type of restriction because now we’re talking about persons who actually were convicted of crimes,” he said. “Misdemeanors only. Not felonies.”
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Jones said he’s spoken with the district attorney and court officials, all of whom were in favor of the summit.
The cost will be minimal because it will be virtual instead of in-person as a previous summit was in 2018, Jones said.
State Court Solicitor Omeeka Loggins, who administers the program details, said her number one goal is to protect the community.
“And we do that,” she said. “But I think it’s also equally important that people have the resources and access to get back on the right track. That means to not go back in the system. That means we help them go on to a good path. Let’s be realistic here. If people can’t get jobs or if they can’t have housing, then they’re going to return to a life of crime.”
Loggins said she needs for people to be educated about the changes in the law.
“I need help in getting this information out to the community,” she said. “And more importantly, I need for the community to have resources to get it done. I think with the virtual restrictions is the
way to go. It’s going to be a two-step process. It’s going to start out with an educational piece. And we’re going to partnership with the Georgia Justice Project, the public defender’s office and other
partners to help people what restrictions is and what it is not. What can be restricted and what can’t. The changes in the law.”
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Loggins added, “Once we do that, we’ll have a virtual registration where people will be able to sign up. And myself and Mr. DA Williams will review those records and then we will have some virtual celebration or ceremony, however you want to phrase it, where they can sign in or log in where we will be able to congratulate them.”
Those whose convictions can’t be expunged will be counseled, Loggins said.
The summit’s costs include employee salaries and overtime.
In 2018, Loggins and Jones spearheaded a records restriction summit based on a change in state law that allowed defendants whose cases didn’t result in a conviction, were first offenders or whose cases had been placed on a dead docket to have their records restricted.
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The Augusta Commission donated $17,000 to pay the costs of the in-person summit that was held at Good Shepard Baptist Church.
More than 1,000 eligible arrests were restricted, Jones said.
“We had wonderful feedback,” Loggins said.
Sylvia Cooper is a Correspondent with The Augusta Press. Reach her at sylvia.cooper@theaugustapress.com.
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