Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has announced an administrative order requiring the city attorney and chief judge to establish a standard process by which people can apply to have their marijuana convictions removed from public record.
Citizens will be able to apply to have those court records made off-limits to everyone except law enforcement, as long as the charges were for an ounce of weed or less. Mayor Bottoms has requested that city officials have the application process set up and ready for implementation by Feb. 1.
This new order will significantly help citizens looking to move forward with their lives after minor marijuana convictions. Sealing these criminal records will prevent landlords, prospective employers, and banks and creditors from accessing these minor convictions with a standard background check.
The mayor's order is in line with her commitment to criminal justice reform in the city. In 2018 she closed the Atlanta City Detention Center, and eliminated the court's cash bond requirement for low-level offenders, who otherwise would sit in jail if they couldn't afford bail.
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