Should it be this hard to get a second chance in Georgia?

Georgia law and policy pose some of the toughest barriers in the nation to people trying to get their lives back on track long after they've satisfied criminal charges or convictions.At stake: opportunities for housing, employment, public assistance and civic participation. With access to these cut off, the odds of recidivism, poverty, family instability and homelessness are high. And taxpayers foot the bill for these avoidable social and economic strains.These are among the findings of a new Mercer Law School publication, made possible by a grant from the Georgia Bar Association and the gift of time and talent by the authors:

Collateral Consequences of Arrests and Convictions: Policy and Law in Georgia . More than one in every 13 adults in Georgia is affected - well over the entire population of our state's largest city, Atlanta.

To learn more, as well as to explore potential strategies Georgia lawmakers could pursue to break down these barriers, join us for a "town hall" dialogue featuring a distinguished panel:

H. Lane Dennard Jr. Co-author and retired litigation partner at King & Spalding
Patrick C. DiCarlo Co-author and partner at Alston & Bird
Douglas Ammar Executive director of the Georgia Justice Project
Marissa McCall, Dodson Staff attorney and principal of the GJP's Coming Home Program
Milton J. Little Jr. President, United Way Metropolitan Atlanta, will moderate and facilitate participant discussion.

Tuesday December 15

4 PM - 6 PM; reception follows
Loudermilk Conference Center
40 Courtland Street, Atlanta, 30303
Discounted parking available
Copies of the book will be available upon donation to benefit the Georgia Justice Project.

There is no charge to attend and the event is open to lawmakers, state, federal and local government officials, judges,attorneys, employers, low income housing providers, clergy, people working with ex-offenders, the homeless or vulnerable families and others who care, including the media.

RSVP:  melissa@gjp.org