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Focus Area 1: Safety and justice |
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We believe that safe and just communities have justice systems that are responsive, fair and that work for our nation’s most vulnerable populations, especially those most impacted by crime, violence, and justice system involvement.
Whether Open Savannah is helping people with past criminal convictions move on with their lives, or creating tools to de-escalate encounters between mentally ill individuals and the police, our work focuses on how we can work together with government and communities to increase safety, reduce costs, and serve people better.
Technical violations and failures to appear in court for individuals on community supervision are a serious problem in Chatham County. Case managers know the best way to keep their clients compliant with the terms of their probation is to check in with them often, remind them of their commitments, and help them with problems that arise. Stakes are high—if they don’t comply with probation, they may go to jail.
To make it easier for individuals and their pretrial or probation case managers to communicate by text, Code for America built ClientComm{: target="_blank"}—a web application that enables case managers to send automated, but customizable text message reminders, answer questions, and deliver quick coaching via text, all from their desktops.
Since launching in 2016, we have expanded our pilot partners to include eight community supervision agencies in Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Iowa, Wisconsin, Maryland, Georgia, and California.
2. Supporting advocacy efforts to legalize and/or decriminalize low-level drug offenses that systematically target minorities and prevent future employment opportunities
It's impossible to talk about reform to the criminal justice system in Georgia without acknowledging the massive role the war on drugs has played in targeting non-white residents and getting them stuck in a cycle of cash bond and private probation companies, whereby they suffer for decades simply because they cannot afford to pay a private company exorbitant probation fees.
We believe that by following the example of other states and legalizing low-level drug offenses, such as possession of small amounts of cannabis, Georgia can begin to rectify the disproportionate negative effects of a broken criminal justice system and begin to embrace restorative justice in its truest sense. We support the efforts of Reform Georgia, and applaud its recent victory in decriminalizing marijuana possession in the City of Savannah.
3. Helping eligible individuals apply for Clean Slate and criminal record expungement services online
Clear My Record{: target="_blank"} is a free, online, multi-county, referral application for expungement, dismissal, and reclassification relief in the Bay Area. Prior to the introduction of Clear My Record, the primary way to apply for these services were in person and the process could take up to a year.
Since launching in April, Code for America has had great success with increasing the number of applicants in San Francisco county. We hope to expand those efforts to Georgia in due time.