​Georgia’s justice system should protect the innocent, support survivors of violent crime, and use public resources wisely, but the death penalty fails on all three counts.

Our state still allows death sentences and executions despite clear evidence that the system is racially biased, expensive, and prone to irreversible errors. Georgia has executed 77 people since 1976, and 33 individuals remain under sentence of death.

Risk of Executing the Innocent
No justice system is perfect. Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in the 1970s, over two hundred people nationwide sentenced to death have later been exonerated, some after decades of imprisonment for crimes they did not commit. In Georgia alone, wrongful convictions (including cases where prosecutors withheld critical evidence) have led to people spending years on death row before finally being freed. We've had seven people exonerated and others with credible claims of innocence who weren't so lucky.

Racial Disparities in Life and Death Decisions
Studies show that race continues to influence who is likely to be executed in Georgia. Defendants convicted of killing white victims are far more likely to face execution than those convicted of killing Black victims, in some research, up to 17 times more likely. Even the U.S. Supreme Court once acknowledged racial disparities in Georgia’s death penalty system in McCleskey v. Kemp, though it declined to overturn the sentence on those grounds.

Harm to Survivors and Families
For many survivors of violent crime, the death penalty prolongs trauma. Long appeals, delayed executions, and drawn-out legal battles keep families reliving their worst moments instead of finding healing and closure. Survivors deserve compassion and support, not decades of uncertainty.

Costly and Ineffective
Capital cases are significantly more expensive than non-death-penalty cases. These added costs come from longer trials, extended appeals, and specialized legal processes. Every dollar spent on protracted death penalty litigation is a dollar not spent on victim services, trauma recovery, mental health care, and community-based violence prevention.

There Are Better Alternatives
Life sentences keep communities safe without risking irreversible mistakes, discriminating in punishment, or consuming vast taxpayer funds. Georgia can uphold accountability while advancing justice that reflects our shared values of fairness, dignity, and care for those harmed by violence.

We call on Georgia lawmakers to end death sentences and executions and instead invest in proven public safety strategies and supports for survivors of violent crime.