Some arrests to be hidden on background checks because of new law | Crime | Macon.com

With a tight job market, many employers now require criminal background checks for potential employees.

Applicants who have an arrest record, even if they’ve never been convicted of a crime, may not be granted the same consideration as a person with a clean record.

In an effort to wipe their record, hundreds of people in Bibb County fill out an application each year and pay a $25 fine to either Macon police or the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. Those with eligible records that are approved by prosecutors go on to pay an additional $25 to the Georgia Crime Information Center, the state’s keeper of criminal records.

With a new law taking effect Monday, some records of old arrests that haven’t gone to court or been prosecuted will automatically be hidden for employment and licensing background checks.

In 2012, legislators edited the expungement law to allow certain old arrests to be “restricted,” meaning that records aren’t erased. They’re just hidden from view for employment and licensing background checks, said Neil Gerstenberger, GCIC’s assistant deputy director for information services.

via Some arrests to be hidden on background checks because of new law | Crime | Macon.com.