Survivor Justice Initiative

We are thrilled that the Georgia Survivor Justice Act is now Georgia Law! Governor Kemp signed HB 582 in May of 2025; we are now in a new era in our state, where our system better protects survivors from being punished for acting to survive.

Between 74-95% of women who are incarcerated have experienced domestic or sexual violence. Georgia can join states like Oklahoma in stopping survivors from receiving convictions and serving long sentences that directly result from their survival of abuse.

The Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Georgia Justice Project, and Igniting Hope GA work alongside impacted individuals, communities, and system stakeholders to enable the criminal justice system to better consider the circumstances and context of cases involving survivors.

Understanding dynamics of domestic violence has evolved greatly in the past decades, but the law had not fully caught up. While the Survivors First Act helps ensure trafficking survivors do not receive convictions for conduct directly related to being a victim of trafficking, Georgia law must improve to prevent convictions and lengthy sentences for domestic violence survivors who face prosecution resulting from trying to survive abuse. Thanks to new Georgia law created and modified by the Survivor Justice Act, Georgia is now a more just place for survivors.

The Survivor Justice Initiative promoted and advocated for the passage of HB582, the Georgia Survivor Justice Act, which is now Georgia Law. The Survivor Justice Act updated the criminal code & sentencing statutes, allowing survivors to have the full context of their situation considered at both trial and sentencing. Until the Survivor Justice Act, Georgia's self-defense statute was last amended in 1993; Georgia's coercion statute was last amended in 1968.