There are a number of crimes in Georgia that carry a life sentence, some of them are called the “Seven Deadly Sins.” They are Murder, Rape, Kidnapping, Armed Robbery, Aggravated Sodomy, Aggravated Sexual Battery and Aggravated Child Molestation. Other crimes now carry life sentences, most notably repeat drug sellers.
So when someone gets convicted of a crime which carries a life sentence, how long will that person actually serve? It just depends. This discussion will be only on life sentences, not on life without parole sentences, which will be dealt with next week.
Georgia ranks 5th in the country in the number of life sentenced inmates in prison. In September 2001, Georgia prisons held 6,339 inmates who were under a life sentence, including 6,059 serving for life with the possibility of parole, 252 serving life without parole, and 128 serving under a death sentence. In July, 2001, there were 473 life sentenced males and 42 females on parole supervision. More than half of the males and almost 2/3 of the female life sentenced offenders on parole were over the age of 45.
On a “Seven Deadly Sin” conviction, current parole laws allow an inmate to apply for parole on a life sentence at the 14 year mark. The next hearing will be every 8 years thereafter. Having a hearing does not mean the inmate will get paroled. In fact, most life inmates on these crimes do not get paroled at 14 years.
Should someone have a “seven deadly sins” life sentence, what most impacts their actual serve time? Naturally, the severity of the crime plays a part. A murderer will be less likely to get parole than a child molester. Another factor is the input from the community, prosecutors, victims and judges. Immediately after a conviction, the parole office obtains input from the prosecutor about the facts of the case. A sense of community outrage also has a big impact on parole decisions.
Anyone may write the Parole Board about any case. The regional parole office is in Warner Robins. James Bergman, the Chief Parole Officer, and his staff will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about parole procedures.
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