1. United States
2. Ga.
3. Letter

The Survivor Justice Act is an important step towards addressing the disproportionate criminalization of domestic abuse survivors. Many survivors end up incarcerated for crimes directly tied to the abuse they endured, such as acting in self-defense or being coerced by their abuser. This bill would allow judges to resentence these individuals to more appropriate terms, taking into account the context of their abuse. It would also expand what evidence of abuse can be presented in court, ensuring a more complete picture is available to inform sentencing decisions. Too often, survivors like Mary Favors face unjust prison sentences that fail to account for the cycles of violence and trauma they experienced. The Survivor Justice Act aims to correct these injustices by providing a pathway for resentencing and preventing excessive punishments solely because the dynamics of abusive relationships were not properly weighed. With strong bipartisan backing in the Georgia House, this bill represents a compassionate, common-sense approach to ensuring the justice system treats survivors more fairly going forward. I urge you to support the Survivor Justice Act to bring much-needed reform for a vulnerable population that has been systematically failed.