ByZach LoganandWTOC Staff|February 3, 2021 at 7:02 AM EST - Updated February 3 at 10:58 AM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A Savannah attorney is working to make sure those with a criminal past know about Georgia’s newest expungement law.
The Second Chance Bill was passed last year and is now in effect. It allows even more Georgians the opportunity to have certain crimes taken off their records.
The former law only allowed arrests that did not lead to convictions and misdemeanor convictions for minors to be erased from people’s records. But as of Jan. 1, 2021, more Georgians are now able to ask a judge to remove certain crimes from their records.
According to the new law, a person with a certain number of years of good behavior can apply to have nonviolent crimes erased from their records.
Nancy DeVetter of DeVetter Law Firm in Savannah says she’s working to make sure more people know about this opportunity. She says often people with a criminal past are trying to get back on their feet and they can’t do it because of those past mistakes.
Crimes not allowed to be expunged include sex, kidnapping, and murder charges.
DeVetter says although the other crimes may be erased from records, law enforcement will still be able to see everything.
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