"A Matter of Life or Death" in Georgia

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently completed an extensive four-part series called "A Matter of Life or Death," about the death penalty in Georgia. The series discussed arbitrariness in the use of the death penalty, the fact that race and geography often determines who receives a death sentence, and whether or not the system can be fixed.

After the series was completed, the editorial board of the newspaper came out against the death penalty. The editorial explained why capital punishment can never be applied fairly. After acknowledging that "justice is not blind" and "it probably never can be," the editorial stated: "Imposing the absolute penalty requires absolute justice, and in the absence of that, the death penalty ought to be abolished."