Report: Georgia Sentences Among Toughest For Serious Crimes

Georgia’s gotten praise for sentence reforms for non-violent crimes, but advocates say don’t forget about addressing major sentences.

Georgia has gotten national recognition for its criminal justice reform efforts in the last few years. Many of the changes have focused on low-level, nonviolent crimes. But reform advocates say Georgia still has one of the country’s toughest sentencing statutes for some serious crimes.

Nazgol Ghandnoosh has been trying to figure out why the number of prison inmates serving life sentences is growing. She’s a researcher with the Sentencing Project, a group that advocates for criminal justice reforms.