---
title: O.C.G.A. § 17-10-32. Sentencing of person indicted for capital offense to life imprisonment or other punishment upon plea of guilty.
collection: code
id: 17-10-32
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 17-10-32 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-10-32
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-10-32.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-10-32/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t17-(v15)-2020-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=8c04ccfe_0#page=1234
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-10.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-10-31.1.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/17-10-32.1.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: CRIMINAL PROCEDURE / SENTENCE AND PUNISHMENT / DEATH PENALTY GENERALLY
---

# O.C.G.A. § 17-10-32. Sentencing of person indicted for capital offense to life imprisonment or other punishment upon plea of guilty.

Any person who has been indicted for an offense punishable by death may enter a plea of guilty at any time after his indictment, and the judge of the superior court having jurisdiction may, in his discretion, sentence the person to life imprisonment or to any other punishment authorized by law for the offense named in the indictment; provided, however, that the judge must find one of the statutory aggravating circumstances provided in Code Section 17-10-30 before imposing the death penalty, except in cases of treason or aircraft hijacking.

## History

Ga. L. 1956, p. 737, § 1; Ga. L. 1973, p. 159, § 8.

## Law Reviews

For annual survey of death penalty decisions, see 57 Mercer L. Rev. 139 (2005); 58 Mercer L. Rev. 111 (2006).