FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Public Defense Foundation and the Fulton County solicitor general are signing an agreement for a newly created ladders program: it’ll offer second chances to defendants through a partnership with Atlanta Technical College.
In the program, low-level offenders can have their charges dropped if they enroll and pursue a GED or college certificate. It’s all thanks to donations to the Public Defense Foundation and federal grants tuition is free.
The Georgia Public Defense Foundation (GPDF)’s goal is to break the cycle of court involvement. They support Georgia Public Defender Council (GPDC). GPDC is responsible for overseeing Georgia’s indigent defense system for persons accused of crimes.
Grammy award-winning artist, businessman, and activist Michael “Killer Mike” Render is Chairman of the Georgia Defense Public Foundation. He is co-owner along with Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris of the Atlanta restaurant, Bankhead Seafood, and hosted the Netflix series, “Trigger Warning with Killer Mike.”
“Judge Brad Boyd, retired, is a friend and mentor of mine since I was 15 years old. I saw him give a friend of mine, in particular, named Dwayne, who was a member of the Gangster Disciples, an opportunity at a second chance and to not be someone who fell victim to recidivism. Dwayne became an upstanding father and man,” said Render on Fulton Government Television. “I saw that young men were given an opportunity and knowing that you’re believed in, stepped up to that opportunity.”
Omotayo Alli is the Georgia Public Defender Council Executive Director. She has led state agencies to develop and grow certain initiatives, including creating a court-based school program for court-involved children and developing a benchmark child welfare program.
“Having been a public defender for many, many years, we’re talking been in this arena for more than three decades. I have seen too many young people come through the system come back again because they don’t have an engagement of productive engagement to get them out of the system. And our caseload keeps going up. The caseload is high,” said Omotayo Alli said on Fulton Government Television. “So we thought about we have to come up thinking outside of the box, something creative to make sure that when our young people come to us is a one-time shot. You don’t come back again.”
Students are monitored to make sure they are compliant.
The allocated funding of the program was voted on by The Fulton County Board of Commissioners. The requested $1.2 million would come from the Fulton County Solicitor General’s office.
More information from Fulton Government Television:
