EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
Information for employers engaging in second chance hiring.
Georgia Justice Project (GJP) reduces barriers to employment and housing for people with criminal records through direct representation as well as policy change.
This not only helps individuals who are seeking good jobs and economic opportunity, but it helps employers who are looking to find and retain qualified workers amidst growing labor shortages.
More than a decade ago, when GJP started our criminal records work, we engaged with employers as a way to learn and understand their concerns about—as well as their interests in—hiring people who have a criminal record. We held numerous employer roundtable events aimed at this goal.
Examples of recent GJP Employer Roundtable events:
- In 2020, our relationship with the business community shifted from quieter consultation to a more public partnership because people now understand that these changes benefit all Georgians, not just those with a criminal record. With bipartisan and business community support, we passed two significant pieces of legislation that reduce barriers to employment.
- In 2021, we held two events to help employers interested in exploring second chance hiring. We co-sponsored an event In August with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta about the need for, and benefits of, second chance hiring. Employers who attended that event expressed a need for more practical guidance, so in December we co-sponsored an event with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce focused on that detailed information.
GJP attorneys frequently speak at workforce and employer events—to articulate the business case for second chance hiring, to explain what Georgia’s new expungement law means for employers, and give guidance on how companies can remove unnecessary barriers in their screening and hiring policies and practices.
Second Chance Hiring: Videos and Resources
- Second Chance Hiring: Benefits, Dispelling Myths & Practical Considerations – includes research data about employee performance, economic benefits of second chance hiring, research about recidivism, employer liability protections, and practical recommendations.
- Second Chance Hiring: Employer Liability Protections – summarizes Georgia law regarding employer liability protections when hiring people with criminal records.
- Second Chance Hiring: Employer Resource Page – includes HR resources, information about Georgia’s expungement law, reentry service providers, policy research, and criminal legal system information.
Past Employer Event Information
- Getting Georgians Back to Work: Addressing the Labor Shortage Through Second Chance Hiring
Co-sponsored by GJP and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, December 2021
Please find the following resources available from this event to view or download: webinar presentation (Powerpoint, 2 MB) and video recording (YouTube) - Economic Opportunity, Racial Equity & the Criminal Justice System: A Private Sector Perspective on Second Chance Hiring and More
Co-sponsored by GJP and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, August 2021
Please find the following resources available from this event to view or download: webinar presentation (Powerpoint, 4.7 MB), video recording (Zoom) and written summary (PDF, 237 KB) - Employer to Employer: Georgia’s Business Leaders Support Second Chances for Rehabilitated Individuals
Hosted by Georgia Justice Project, January 2019
Please find the following resources available from this event to view or download: written summary (PDF, 248 KB) - Georgia Roundtable on Employment & Individuals with Criminal Records
Hosted by Georgia Justice Project, September 2017
Please find the following resources available from this event to view or download: written summary (PDF, 458 KB) - Reducing the Risk of a Criminal Record: The Employer’s Perspective
Hosted by Georgia Justice Project, November 2014
Please find the following resources available from this event to view or download: policy forum report (PDF, 1 MB)
Additional Information
If you are a member of the private sector and have interest in participating in upcoming events or serving as a resource for our policy efforts, please contact:
Policy and Outreach Coordinator Ann Colloton
Phone: 404-827-0027, ext. 248
Email: Ann@GJP.org
To learn how your company can become a financial supporter of GJP, please visit our Justice in Action Corporate Partnership Program online, download our 2022 Corporate Partnership Packet or contact:
Development Director Ermis Zayas
Phone: 404-827-0027, ext. 217
Email: Ermis@GJP.org
