Atlanta, GA criminal defense attorney Leigh S. Schrope talks about the avenues someone can pursue for relief from their sentence. She explains that there are several avenues to explore. The first is parole, for which most defendants become eligible after serving one-third of their sentence; however, some sentences are not parole-eligible, and individuals serving life sentences must serve 30 years before becoming eligible. Another option is to determine whether the county of conviction has established a Conviction Integrity Unit. These units review the validity of the underlying conviction and, in some cases, assess whether the sentence is appropriate based on the facts of the case. Although these units are still in the early stages of development and are not yet widely available throughout Georgia, they are expanding, and there is ongoing hope that additional counties will establish them.