Criminal Justice

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 17 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to criminal procedure, so as to provide for pretrial proceedings in capital offense cases where the death penalty is sought when the accused has intellectual disability; to provide for a definition; to provide for notice of intent to claim intellectual disability; to provide for pretrial determination of intellectual disability; to provide for verdicts; to provide for capital case procedures; to provide for reports investigating reversible error; to provide for a standard of review; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

This resolution compensates Joseph Samuel Watkins for his wrongful conviction and 22 years of incarceration following his exoneration in 2023. It directs the state to pay $1,688,527.40 total - $535,000 as an initial lump sum and the remainder as a 10-year annuity starting in 2026 - to Watkins for his losses. Watkins must sign a waiver releasing Georgia from all future claims related to his case. The resolution applies solely to Watkins and does not establish a general compensation program for exonerees in Georgia.

A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend various provisions of the O.C.G.A., so as to rename low THC oil as medical cannabis; to amend Chapter 12 of Title 16, Article 2 of Chapter 13 of Title 16, and Article 1 of Chapter 2A of Title 31 of the O.C.G.A., relating to offenses against the public health and morals, regulation of controlled substances, and general provisions relative to the Department of Public Health, respectively, so as to clarify and revise criminal penalties; to clarify and revise exemptions to criminal penalties; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.