Criminal offenses in Ga (Atlanta: fingerprints, crime, felony)

[rlrl]

I am considering possibly relocating from NY to Ga, but there is an obstacle.

I have a professional license to do what I do here in NY and i want to apply for the equivalent Ga license first(which could increase my chances of getting hired if i am granted licensure)

15 years ago i was convicted of a Disorderly Conduct charge while i was licensed. No action was taken against my NY license because Dis Con is only considered a violation in NY, not a misdemeanor. It carried a max of 15 days of jail whereas in Ga I believe it can be up to a year. I had a Conditional Discharge and paid a small fine. In a year my record was sealed.

Tho i was originally charged with a misdemeanor I pled to the violation. After a year your fingerprints are destroyed and your FBI record expunged so your record doesn't follow you (I have confirmation of these).

The Ga licensing application asks if you have ever been arrested, sentenced, charged, entered a guilty plea for commission of any misdemeanor or felony or convicted of any crime of moral turpitude.

If so, they tell you to submit a court record pertaining to the matter. The court disposition lists the original charge in numericals and the conviction charge, so they will probably have no idea what I was convicted of. It also says the record is sealed, which might confuse them too. I will have to explain that Dis Con is a violation.

What I wanted to ask was in Ga, are criminal offenses divided into Felonies, misdemeanors and violations, or are there no violations, just misds and felonies?

In NY, a violation like Dis Con is an offense of the NY criminal code, but it's not classified as a crime. This is separate from a municipal ordinance violation like littering or open container, etc

So I was wondering about Ga laws.

I know I should probably ask a Ga criminal attorney about the difference in the Dis Con classifications

Are there any legal assistance agencies in Ga that could provide me with any input into this?

thanks in advance for any input you can provide

RLRL

Does anyone know how draconian Ga. is with respect to Dis Con convictions?

[AnsleyPark]

Contact the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Google them. They can give you the proper advice.

[rlrl]

thanks again!!

[PKCorey]

If it has been expunded, you are not required to tell them.

[atlantagreg30127]

Follow Ansley Park's advice please, because essentially you're asking for legal council and no one here should be giving it out. So by calling the Legal Aid folks you can get your questions professionally answered. Thank you.