The Southern Center for Human Rights works for fairness and dignity for people hurt by the criminal legal system in the Deep South. Its site talks about big lawsuits, work to change policy, and public campaigns.
The Atlanta Citizen Review Board is an independent group that looks at complaints about Atlanta police and corrections officers. You can file a complaint, and some complaints can go to a free talk with the officer led by a neutral mediator. The board also shares information about your rights and visits events around the city.
Barred Business is a group started in 2020 by formerly incarcerated Black women.E. program for formerly incarcerated women and works on bail, voting rights and fair laws for people with records. People with records and their families can join as members.
The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute studies Georgia's state budget, taxes and public policy. It writes reports and analysis on topics like health care, education, jobs and the justice system. You can read its work online, and you can ask one of its experts to speak at your event or meeting.
Women on the Rise is led by women who have been in jail or prison. It helps women coming home with case management, monthly support circles, and links to housing, jobs and mental health care. It also organizes for fairer laws and helps people learn about their voting rights.
DBHDD is the State of Georgia agency for mental health, substance use, and developmental disability services. It runs a 24-hour crisis phone line and points people to crisis centers, local providers, and regional field offices. It also handles court-ordered forensic evaluations and runs transitional housing and deaf services.
youthSpark is an Atlanta nonprofit that helps teens who have been hurt, exploited, or are at risk. Its Youth Services Center offers case management, counseling, support groups, and help in court and at school for young people ages 12 to 18 in Fulton County. It also trains adults and groups to spot warning signs and speak up for youth.
Georgia Justice Project is a nonprofit that gives free legal help to people in Georgia who have been touched by the criminal legal system. It defends some people charged in Fulton and DeKalb counties and helps people clean up old records so it is easier to get a job or a home. It also helps with ending felony probation early, job license problems, and questions about voting.
PAD is an Atlanta nonprofit that offers help instead of police response or jail for people dealing with extreme poverty, substance use, or mental health problems. You can ask for a PAD team by calling 311. PAD also gives case management to people diverted by law enforcement or with open court cases.
ACLU of Georgia is a statewide group that works to protect civil rights and freedoms. It files lawsuits, pushes for better laws, teaches people about their rights, and trains volunteers to watch elections and protests. It says it is generally not a legal aid office and cannot take most requests for individual legal help.
The Martin Luther King Sr. Community Resources Collaborative is a community agency near Ebenezer Baptist Church. It puts several kinds of help for families in one place, such as job and money training, free tax help, housing classes and emergency help to stay housed. Its goal is to help families become self-sufficient.
SONG is a membership group for LGBTQ people across the South, with a focus on people of color, immigrants, rural people and working-class people. It runs organizing campaigns, member-led projects, working groups and gatherings. Members build skills and community together.
Atlanta Economic Justice is a local program of the American Friends Service Committee. It teaches organizing skills to grassroots groups and young leaders. It also backs campaigns for housing rights, safe renting and water rights in the Atlanta area.
Georgia Innocence Project is a nonprofit law firm. It gives free legal help to a very small number of people convicted in Georgia of serious crimes they did not commit. It also helps freed clients rebuild their lives and works to prevent wrongful convictions.
Atlanta Community Support Project is a group run by people who have been affected by the criminal legal system. It holds trainings and community events. It also connects volunteer lawyers with jailhouse lawyers to work on parole and post-conviction cases in Georgia.
GCADV is Georgia's statewide group for domestic violence help. It runs a free hotline that is open all day and night, and it works with more than 50 local programs across the state. It also trains those programs, helps Deaf and hard of hearing survivors, and works to change laws that affect survivors.
Black Voters Matter is a Black-led group that builds political power in Black communities. It works with local groups, runs one-day warrant clinics with a partner, and leads campaigns on health care, young leaders and more. Volunteers can help by texting, writing postcards and joining events.
The Atlanta Alliance is the Atlanta branch of a national group that works against racism and police violence. It is working to close Fulton County Jail and end cash bail there. It holds regular Tuesday evening meetings and stands with families of people killed by police or who died in jail.
GEMA/HS is Georgia's state agency for getting ready for, responding to, and recovering from disasters. Most of its help goes to local governments, agencies, schools, and nonprofits through grants and training. It also runs a case management program for Hurricane Helene survivors, shares FEMA sign-up steps after major federal disasters, and offers the Ready Georgia preparedness campaign and a suspicious-activity reporting app.
NewLife-Second Chance Outreach is a volunteer-run group led by people who have been in prison. It helps Georgians affected by an arrest, conviction, or incarceration. It offers free money courses, job and leadership workshops, voter education, a list of fair-chance resources, and a family support group. It does not give legal advice or help pay for rent, housing, or bills.