--- title: O.C.G.A. § 37-1-28. Conviction data. collection: code id: 37-1-28 cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 37-1-28 (2025) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-1-28 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-1-28.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-1-28/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t37-t39-(v28)-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=6f93000f_0#page=15 date: 2025 status: active corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68 license: CC0-1.0 publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-1.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-1-27.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-1-29.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md version: the only printed version in_force: true current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly heading_path: MENTAL HEALTH / GOVERNING AND REGULATION OF MENTAL HEALTH / POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES --- # O.C.G.A. § 37-1-28. Conviction data. (a) As used in this Code section, the term “conviction data” means a record of a finding or verdict of guilty or a plea of guilty or a plea of nolo contendere with regard to any crime, regardless of whether an appeal of the conviction has been sought. (b) The department may receive from any law enforcement agency conviction data that is relevant to a person whom the department or its contractors is considering as a final selectee for employment in a position the duties of which involve direct care, treatment, custodial responsibilities, or any combination thereof for its clients. (c) The department may receive from any law enforcement agency conviction data which is relevant to a person whom the department or its contractors is considering as a final selectee for employment in a position if, in the judgment of the employer, a final employment decision regarding the selectee can only be made by a review of conviction data in relation to the particular duties of the position and the security and safety of clients, the general public, or other employees. (d) The department shall establish a uniform method of obtaining conviction data under subsection (a) of this Code section which shall be applicable to the department and its contractors. Such uniform method shall require the submission to the Georgia Crime Information Center of fingerprints and the records search fee in accordance with Code Section 35-3-35. Upon receipt thereof, the Georgia Crime Information Center shall promptly transmit fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a search of bureau records and an appropriate report and shall promptly conduct a search of its own records and records to which it has access. After receiving the fingerprints and fee, the Georgia Crime Information Center shall notify the department in writing of any derogatory finding, including, but not limited to, any conviction data regarding the fingerprint records check or if there is no such finding. (e) All conviction data received shall be for the exclusive purpose of making employment decisions or decisions concerning individuals in the care of the department and shall be privileged and shall not be released or otherwise disclosed to any other person or agency. Immediately following the employment decisions or upon receipt of the conviction data, all such conviction data collected by the department or its agent shall be maintained by the department or agent pursuant to laws regarding and the rules or regulations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Crime Information Center, as is applicable. Penalties for the unauthorized release or disclosure of any conviction data shall be as prescribed pursuant to laws regarding and rules or regulations of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Crime Information Center, as is applicable. (f) The department may promulgate written rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Code section. (g) The department shall be authorized to conduct a name or descriptor based check of any person’s criminal history information, including arrest and conviction data, and other information from the Georgia Crime Information Center regarding any adult person who provides care or is in contact with persons under the care of the department without the consent of such person and without fingerprint comparison to the fullest extent permissible by federal and state law. (h) If the department is participating in the program described in subparagraph (a)(1)(F) of Code Section 35-3-33, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall be authorized to retain fingerprints obtained pursuant to this Code section for such program and the department shall notify the individual whose fingerprints were taken of the parameters of such retention. ## History Code 1981, § 37-1-28, enacted by Ga. L. 2009, p. 453, § 3-1/HB 228; Ga. L. 2010, p. 286, § 3/SB 244; Ga. L. 2018, p. 507, § 2-11/SB 336; Ga. L. 2025, p. 727, § 3/SB 132, effective July 1, 2025. ## Editor's Notes Ga. L. 2025, p. 727, § 4/SB 132, not codified by the General Assembly, provides, in part, that this Act shall apply to any motions made or hearings or trials commenced on or after July 1, 2025. ## Amendments The 2025 amendment, effective July 1, 2025, deleted the second sentence in subsection (b), which read: “The department may also receive conviction data which is relevant to a person whom the department or its contractors is considering as a final selectee for employment in a position if, in the judgment of the employer, a final employment decision regarding the selectee can only be made by a review of conviction data in relation to the particular duties of the position and the security and safety of clients, the general public, or other employees.”; added subsection (c) and redesignated former subsections (c) through (g) as subsections (d) through (h), respectively.