The House of Representatives has voted to abolish a three-judge panel that reviews criminal sentences of 12 years or more in length, although not life sentences. Rep. Barry Fleming (R-Harlem) says he believes the panel is unconstitutional.
“What this panel does is meet behind closed doors where nobody knows what they’re doing, and they overturn plea bargains, and I think that’s wrong,” said Fleming. “The victims of crime have no ability to go before this panel. District Attorneys have no ability to go before this panel other than a written notice.”
Democrats argued the bill goes too far. They say the panel reviews sentences to make sure judges across the state act consistently. For more than 30 years, the panel has made sure “the defendant in Atlanta and the defendant in Hahira are treated similarly for similar crimes with similar circumstances,” says Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield (D-Atlanta). She notes the Georgia Supreme Court has not declared the panel unconstitutional. Furthermore, she says, the sentence review panel has reduced sentences in less than 3 percent of cases that come before it.
The bill now goes to the Georgia Senate.
