Here is a fascinating article on a successful Georgia state program that was able to allow for decent legal representation for poor and indigent Georgia citizens. After being neglected and frequently railroaded for years, poor people finally got a chance to have decent legal representation, particularly in death penalty cases.

However, now that successful program is being dramatically underfunded for political reasons. The current Georgia governor is a strong death penalty advocate, and is playing political games with this program to increase convictions.

Ironically though, the current state of of under-representation for these defendants, due to reducing the program presents legal and constitutional challenges to getting convictions in the first place.

If you need a criminal defense lawyer in Georgia, please contact our attorneys for a consultation.

Tuesday, 3/11/08 was the date when a lot of proposed legislation can expire under the rules of the legislature. If No activity takes place in the first 30 days of a legislative session in Georgia, a bill can be passed in the current session.

One current bill that is under the gun would reform Georgia criminal procedures that govern how lineups are done in police stations to require stricter standards for eyewitnesses making identifications of defendants in criminal cases.

The proposed bill is a response to the increased mis-identification of alleged criminal by witnesses, in light of the increased exonerations after the fact, when DNA evidence is checked.  Historically, witness IDs are not hugely reliable, and are easily influenced if the process isn’t done carefully. Human memory is surprisingly fallible and malleable, and in criminal cases where the evidence relies heavily on an eyewitness, we need to be double sure of the validity of the process.

(Info on the bill, and Georgia legal procedures via savannahnow.com.)