Georgia

"Vote clears path to life without parole," by Bill Rankin, Aaron Gould Sheinin is in today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia prosecutors will have more leeway to put killers behind bars until they die under legislation given final approval Wednesday by the state House.

The House voted 164-0 for the bill, which would allow DAs to seek a sentence of life in prison without parole without having to seek the death penalty to get it.

“The families of the victims need closure,” said Rep. Rich Golick (R-Smyrna), the chairman of the House Judiciary. “And, of course, the question they ask the prosecutor is: Is that individual ever going to get out?”

The bill helps prosecutors help those families, he said.

The Senate already approved SB 13 by a unanimous vote. The bill now goes to Gov. Sonny Perdue.

The legislation was the top priority of the state’s district attorneys and also supported by numerous criminal defense attorneys.

DAs say the legislation would allow them to put more murderers away forever. It also will spare DAs from having to mount costly death-penalty prosecutions when a life-without-parole sentence is what they would have settled for.

Under Georgia law, once a DA seeks the death penalty, the sentencing options are life in prison with parole, life without parole or death.

The Rome News-Tribune of Geoergia has, "House approves sentencing changes in life without parole bill, by John Bailey.

The House unanimously approved a measure Wednesday that would give prosecutors more leeway to seek sentences of life in prison without parole.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome, would change current law, which requires prosecutors to seek the death penalty before they can seek life without parole for convicted murderers.

It will go to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s desk after the House and Senate hash out minor differences.

And:

The bill ran into a rough patch last week when it was suddenly pulled from the floor.

Angry Senate sponsors accused House leaders of trying to amend it to allow the death penalty without a unanimous jury verdict.

Critics say the process of seeking the death penalty is time-consuming, expensive and often unnecessary.

Similar bills have gone before the state legislature in the past but would get bogged down and eventually be tabled but Patterson said Smith championed the measure year after year.

Earlier coverage of the Georgia legislation is here.  More on SB 13 from the Georgia General Assembly is here.