East Point is giving scofflaws a second chance to dodge the hoosegow.
The south Fulton County city is starting an amnesty week Saturday during which people who have outstanding warrants or probation violations in its municipal court can come in and pay their fines.
Drivers who have had their licenses suspended because of failure to appear in court also can start clearing up their situation Saturday, East Point Municipal Court Chief Judge Rashida Oliver said.
She warned that anyone who didn't appear in court for a traffic violation likely has had their license suspended because the city reports the failure to the state. Overdue tickets go back to at least 2002, the city averages 15,000 tickets a year, and about 30 percent of those cited skip court, she said.
"They've just been going around without a license for that long," she said. "There are thousands of warrants outstanding."
Violators who haven't paid their fines and people who didn’t complete community service or didn't show up in court also can get their extra costs and penalties waived if they show up to make good on the charges, Oliver said.
The amnesty times are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday next week at the East Point Law Enforcement Center, 2727 East Point St.
The last East Point amnesty in 2010 didn't produce a wave of violators coming in to make amends. The city cleared about $13,000 for about 100 overdue tickets, Oliver said.
The bad economy has prompted more arrests for those with outstanding warrants, the judge said.
"People are looking for jobs and these old warrants are popping up during background checks and they're getting arrested," she said. "With the warrants out there, if they have lost their job, they can't look for a job, at least a legitimate one."
College Park also is having an ongoing amnesty until May 31.
Chief Judge Crystal Gaines said Atlanta Municipal Court has discussed having another amnesty week -- it had a successful one in the past -- but so far has no plans to do so.
"If you have a backlog of failure-to-appear cases, an amnesty usually lowers that backlog," Gaines said.
For more stand-up citizens in search of legal advice, East Point is conducting a law clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the East Point Law Enforcement Center. Private lawyers and the Atlanta Legal Aid Society will be available to answer questions about different legal sectors, including criminal defense and family and bankruptcy law.
The legal clinic is open to nonresidents.
Court officials hope for a decent turnout, but they recognize Saturday might be a slow day.
“We are competing, unfortunately, with the Dogwood Festival,” Oliver said.
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