Pause for a moment and try to think of a close friend or associate who has a criminal record. If you’re in Georgia like me, that shouldn’t be too hard. Four out of ten Georgians have a criminal record (that’s over 4 million individuals, and to put that in perspective, that means nearly half our state is in some form of corrections.)

The probation population in the Peach State is more than 400,000 individuals — this is the largest probation population of any state, including Texas. Another sobering fact : over 60% of the individuals currently locked up in our 143 county jails are on pre-trial detention. That’s more county jails than Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nevada and California combined.

(What is pre-trial detention? = Pre-trial detention is for those who cannot afford bail or are held for another reason. These people, for the vast majority, have not yet been convicted of a criminal activity.)

If the numbers weren’t already clear, Georgia’s total probation population is the largest of any state, with a probation rate four times the national average.

But can’t those returning to life after incarceration just get better? Get on track again? That’s where the story gets tricky, especially in Georgia. If you have a criminal record, you may already know, that blemish remains on your record for your entire life. Criminal records make it harder to find jobs, access housing, and disproportionally impact marginalized communities. Criminal records affect travel, voting, and other major life impacting opportunities and choices.

If you haven’t personally experienced our criminal justice system, you likely don’t know there’s a problem. But crime — in all it’s forms — affects us all. How we handle crime affects all of us. If you believe Georgians deserve a second chance, if you believe a criminal record should not be a life-sentence, then keep reading.

Fortunately for us, we live in the United States of America. And while we are most certainly far from perfect, and we may not all agree on what’s wrong, we have a system here that allows the citizens to bring forth and inspire change. We have a system that allows criticism, and as such, it is our country-given right to work to improve the system we live within. We can even change the system.

One of our platform polices for Reform Georgia, the non-profit I co-founded, is to champion the decriminalization of cannabis. I’ve spent the majority of my professional career in this gray-area industry. I do not believe cannabis is a crime, and I strongly believe that our criminal justice system unfairly targets and punishes offenders of this crime — primarily punishing my friends with darker skin than mine. There’s plenty of numbers to support this.

Fortunately again, in my state, there are laws to allow cities to handle the criminalization of cannabis under an ounce. After Atlanta passed the first change in Georgia, my teammates at ReformGeorgia helped Savannah, Macon, Jonesboro, Clarkston County, Fulton County, and Athens change their laws. Now, more than 11 cities & counties in Georgia have decriminalized cannabis possession under an ounce [for those not on the scene, that’ll get ya approx. 38 joints].

Cannabis is not the only thing on our platform for criminal justice reform. We also believe in:

Ending Cash Bail

This unfairly targets the less financially secure and gives advantage to wealthy offenders. No-Cost communication is a part of this — we need to stop punishing people for living in poverty.

This unfairly targets the less financially secure and gives advantage to wealthy offenders. No-Cost communication is a part of this — we need to stop punishing people for living in poverty. Ending “Zero-Tolerance” Policies

It’s past time to remove the school-to-prison pipeline, and private organizations shouldn’t receive kickbacks for keeping people incarcerated longer.

It’s past time to remove the school-to-prison pipeline, and private organizations shouldn’t receive kickbacks for keeping people incarcerated longer. Expungement of Records & Restoration of Voting Rights

We believe in an easier expungement process, and that expungement should be a clear and cost-affordable option. We believe in letting our neighbors and friends be heard with their voices.

Most importantly, we believe reform happens at a local level, and that citizens have the ability to change the system surrounding them.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Improving our criminal justice system is something we believe everyone — across any side, any platform, can stand behind. At ReformGeorgia, we believe that justice reform is a nonpartisan issue. We believe that in a future for Georgia where all Georgians enjoy equality before the law, and mass incarceration is no longer a one-stop-shop solution for our neighbors.

September 21st — 28th is National Expungement Week. If you don’t know, this week is to raise awareness about the impact our criminal justice system has on our society, and how we can help. Dozens of non-profits and organizations are joining together to host events all over the nation, and it’s time for you to get involved. Here’s what we want you to know :

Communities that care for each other, perform better.

Justice includes equitable access to government by all its citizens

You can get involved.

Please read more about our mission at our website where you can donate or become a volunteer and click here to view expungement events happening around the nation.

ReformGeorgia means building a better justice system for everyone.

Most importantly, we believe reform happens at a local level, and that citizens have the ability to change the system surrounding them. That’s why we are proud to partner with OpenSavannah and the Code for America network — a nonprofit rooted in the notion that change starts locally scales globally.