R Street Policy Short No. 78: The State of Georgia’s Death Penalty
Authors
Key Point
Georgia’s death penalty risks innocent life, doesn’t adequately protect society, and costs far more than the alternatives.
Press Release
An Eye for an Eye: Why the Georgia Legislature Should Repeal the Death Penalty
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INTRODUCTION
In 2016, Georgia’s nine executions led the nation—surpassing even Texas. While this could be mistaken as a thriving Peach State death penalty, the truth is far different. Rather, capital punishment is quickly dwindling in Georgia. In fact, juries have delivered only one death sentence in over five years, and national polls show that death penalty support is near historic lows for several reasons, including the capital punishment’s inherent risk to innocent life, high costs and failure to adequately protect society. Given the death penalty’s shortcomings, the Georgia legislature ought to debate its repeal.
