Life Sentence and Parole in Georgia

Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates is an Atlanta, Georgia-based law firm that specializes in post-conviction representation. The firm offers a broad range of services and employs two former Parole Board employees to assist with the firm’s parole cases. Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates also work with offenders sentenced to life in prison. According to the State of Georgia Laws, the Parole Board will review cases of offenders sentenced to a defined period of time as they become eligible for parole and set a Tentative Parole Month (TPM). The TPM is the date when the Parole Board will make the final review of a case and decide whether to grant parole or not. However, for offenders sentenced to a life sentence, the TPM does not apply. The Parole Board reviews the cases of life offenders as they become eligible and decides whether or not to grant parole and, if parole is not granted, they decide the date on which the Parole Board will review the case again. The Parole Board will reconsider life sentence cases a minimum of every eight years. Crimes committed before 1995 and deemed one of “seven deadly sins” become eligible for parole consideration on a life sentence after seven years. Similar crimes committed in 1995 and later become eligible for parole consideration after 14 years on a life sentence. However, since July 1, 2006, such crimes only gain eligibility for parole consideration after thirty years on a life sentence.

A Look at the State Bar of Georgia’s Law-Related Education Program

As the founding attorney at Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates in Atlanta, Georgia, Michael Kennedy McIntyre leverages over 35 years of experience in the area of post-conviction representation to provide legal remedies for clients convicted of crimes in the Georgia court system. Throughout his career at Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates, he has stayed active in the Georgia legal community as a member of the State Bar of Georgia.

In addition to supporting and advancing the work of the state’s attorneys through education and advocacy activities, the State Bar of Georgia oversees various programs for members of the public. This includes a legal aid program for those with low incomes and several education programs for K-12 teachers and students.

Through its Law-Related Education (LRE) Program, the State Bar of Georgia helps local teachers integrate LRE into existing social science, English, and math curricula. Along with teaching young people about the law and the ways laws are created, the program raises awareness of individual rights and responsibilities, and encourages active participation in civic and governmental activities.

To support its LRE Program, the State Bar of Georgia has created a virtual museum of law that features videos and other resources exploring famous state and national court cases. The bar also creates and regularly updates online LiveBinders on various legal topics. Other LRE Program resources and activities include “Journey Through Justice Field Trips” and free workshops for K-12 teachers.

More information is available at www.gabar.org.

Grounds for a Post-Conviction Appeal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An accomplished criminal defense attorney based in Atlanta, Michael Kennedy McIntyre founded Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates in 1985, a legal firm that deals exclusively with post-conviction representation. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) School of Law, Michael Kennedy McIntyre worked as an attorney in various capacities before establishing his law firm. Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates handles various post-conviction criminal defense aspects such as appeals. An appeal is a request placed before a higher (appellate) court to review and change a decision made by a lower court. The defendant can either challenge the conviction itself or challenge the sentence without referring to the underlying conviction. A successful appeal can end a case entirely or restore a case back to the initial stages. A post-conviction appeal can be made in cases where the defendant feels the verdict rendered was not sufficiently supported by the evidence, there was a miscarriage of justice, or the judge made an error of law. An appeal can focus on the weaknesses of the evidence with an aim to convince the appellate court that the evidence used by jurors to convict was too weak. Appeals focusing on error of law are aimed at proving errors of law such as a judge giving incorrect directions to a jury, the wrongful admission of evidence, or an incorrect interpretation of a defendant’s rights occurring during the trial. Miscarriage of justice appeals challenge errors of both fact and law such as a jury member being biased or a judge refusing to provide an interpreter for an accused person.

How Parole Is Granted in Georgia

Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles Image: pap.georgia.gov

Michael Kennedy McIntyre is a post-conviction criminal defense lawyer based in Atlanta, with experience spanning over three decades. He founded Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates in 1985 to focus on post-conviction representation in the state of Georgia. In the course of his career, Mr. McIntyre has served as a lead defense counsel on a number of death penalty cases.

Michael Kennedy McIntyre & Associates is well versed in evaluating various options available for clients to obtain relief from their conviction, including parole representation and related options. Parole is when offenders are granted early release from their prison sentence and allowed to serve the remainder of their sentence in the community but under supervision and with certain conditions.

Georgia’s State Board of Pardons and Paroles is mandated to grant parole at its discretion for various offenders who have served time for their sentences. In Georgia, parole is not granted for some offenses. It is beneficial for clients who are eligible for parole to know the parole guidelines recommendation for their offense.

For instance, some offenses require an inmate to serve 65 percent of the sentence before being released on parole. Also, murder convictions with a life sentence which occurred after 2006 are not eligible for parole consideration until after the service of 30 years. When considering parole, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles follows a grid system, the parole guidelines, which is advisory. Although the Parole Board utilizes the grid system when considering a case, the Parole Board can determine to depart upward or downward from the grid system. Last, the Parole Board exercises discretion and does not have to disclose why it has made a particular decision or what information is contained in an offender’s parole file.