On Their Own on Death Row in Georgia [View All]

[Bluebear]

ATLANTA — Seven inmates on Georgia's death row may be forced to represent themselves at hearings because the state is not required to provide appellate lawyers and a prisoners' advocacy group says it cannot help....

One of the inmates, Gregory Lawler, has a hearing scheduled in a month. "He's frightened," Dunn said. "They're all frightened. They want a lawyer."

Many states provide little funding for representation during phase two, the state habeas corpus petition, in which an inmate can raise legal issues from his or her trial such as prosecutorial misconduct or suppression of exculpatory material. But Georgia stands out when it comes to not providing legal representation, one expert said.

"Georgia is the only state that has just shrugged its shoulders and said if a condemned person doesn't have a lawyer, it doesn't matter," said Stephen B. Bright, director of the Southern Center for Human Rights. "Other states have made a pretense of supplying a lawyer, even if it is an inadequate lawyer."


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