Georgia's new tough sex offender law

[Reader]

Here's a link to some information about the new Georgia sex offender law that will take effect on July 1. There is some controversy and a lawsuit coming up already about banning sex offenders from living close to school bus stops.

It is a tough law but some people made comments that it will be hard to enforce and may make the offenders stop registering and reporting to their probation officers.

What do you think about it?

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SEX_OFFENDERS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

While many states and municipalities bar sex offenders from living near schools, Georgia's law, which takes effect July 1, prohibits them from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of just about anywhere children gather - schools, churches, parks, gyms, swimming pools or one of the state's 150,000 school bus stops.

That puts virtually every residential neighborhood off limits to Georgia's more than 10,000 registered sex offenders.
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With the law about to take effect, a debate is under way over how tough is too tough.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of Collins and others this week in federal court by the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights argues that the law makes it impossible for offenders to live in most of the state's urban and suburban areas. It predicted that many will have to live out of their cars or set up tents or trailers in the woods. The center also warned that the law will undermine efforts to keep track of offenders.

"The reality is that the restrictions are so tough that they are going to backfire by causing people not to report and re-register with their probation officers," said Sara Totonchi, the center's public policy director. "As a result, the number of people who will abscond from the registry will increase. And we won't be able to supervise them."
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Under the Georgia law, those deemed sexually dangerous predators also would have to wear electronic monitoring devices for the rest of their lives after their release from prison. The law also increases prison sentences for rape, child molestation and other charges from 10 years to a mandatory minimum of 25 years and makes it a crime to harbor a sex offender.

While at least 15 states also restrict how close sex offenders can live to schools or day-care centers, Georgia is the only state to explicitly bar them from living near school bus stops, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

[concernedperson]

I think it is good but I live in Georgia.I am tired of sex offenders and their excuses.So, it is tough but the results of victims from these predators goes on for their lifetime.I don't think sex offenders should ever be given a free pass, mostly I think they should be behind bars for life as they will reoffend.

[Bobbisangel]

I think it is good but I live in Georgia.I am tired of sex offenders and their excuses.So, it is tough but the results of victims from these predators goes on for their lifetime.I don't think sex offenders should ever be given a free pass, mostly I think they should be behind bars for life as they will reoffend.



Now that is the kind of law that I love to see. Someone is really getting serious about these perverts. If they don't register then I guess they will end up back in prison won't they! Sex offenders do not need to live anywhere around children. Of course they like to get right into the areas that have a lot of kids and of course they will whine when they can't do it.

Maybe there should be a little community built way out of town strictly for sex offenders. That way they could all live in the same area and it would be easier for police to check on them. Say a sex offender is released from prison...he would move into that housing area. Easy for the cops to check if he is there and registered. If he isn't a warrent could be put out for him. Wouldn't that be a good idea?!

I think it should be "touch a child once and you are locked up forever" but that will never happen. With the new laws and the monitor on their ankle it is at least better then it has been. Maybe I'll send a copy of that new law to our gov ;) Just sent it....she probably recognizes my name by now :crazy:

[georgiagirl]

Amen CP! I totally agree!:clap:



I think it is good but I live in Georgia.I am tired of sex offenders and their excuses.So, it is tough but the results of victims from these predators goes on for their lifetime.I don't think sex offenders should ever be given a free pass, mostly I think they should be behind bars for life as they will reoffend.

[Reader]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SEX_OFFENDERS?SITE=FLTAL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

ATLANTA (AP) -- A federal judge on Monday blocked Georgia from targeting eight individuals with its sweeping law that would bar sex offenders from living near school bus stops.

Many states have barred offenders from working and living near schools, but Georgia's law goes farther by restricting them from living or working within 1,000 feet of a school bus stop.

The temporary restraining order by U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper applies only to the eight plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by the Southern Center for Human Rights.

Also has a good map of Ga. showing the numbers of sexual offenders in different areas.

[bakerprune64]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SEX_OFFENDERS?SITE=FLTAL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

ATLANTA (AP) -- A federal judge on Monday blocked Georgia from targeting eight individuals with its sweeping law that would bar sex offenders from living near school bus stops.

Many states have barred offenders from working and living near schools, but Georgia's law goes farther by restricting them from living or working within 1,000 feet of a school bus stop.

The temporary restraining order by U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper applies only to the eight plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by the Southern Center for Human Rights.

Also has a good map of Ga. showing the numbers of sexual offenders in different areas.
So we're supossed to shed a tear for these pervs, bc they feel theru HUMAN RIGHTS are violated??/ Okay here goes....BooHooo Freakin Whaaaa. They bar these jerks from around the schools, but how in the hell do they think that the kids got to the school:doh: School bus helloooo. I'm sorry if I'm offending anybody here, but give me a freaking break! :behindbar

[beakiebean]

Not to be dumb but where are they supposed to live? I mean if they can't live by schools, churches, daycare centers, or school bus stops that eliminates a lot of areas. I think it would be hard to find housing that was away from all of those things.

It's kind of like nuclear waste-no one wants it in their backyard but it has to go somewhere. What's the solution?
Maybe we should just ship them all to Antartica....without coats...:waitasec: That might solve the problem for good. Plus we'd never have to worry about the polar bears starving.

[bakerprune64]

Not to be dumb but where are they supposed to live? I mean if they can't live by schools, churches, daycare centers, or school bus stops that eliminates a lot of areas. I think it would be hard to find housing that was away from all of those things.

It's kind of like nuclear waste-no one wants it in their backyard but it has to go somewhere. What's the solution?
Maybe we should just ship them all to Antartica....without coats...:waitasec: That might solve the problem for good. Plus we'd never have to worry about the polar bears starving.
The fact that they have fewer housing alternatives make me smile. They should have thought about the consequences of their actions. And yes they are like nuclear waste, let's just dig a hole and bury them!

[christine2448]

The fact that they have fewer housing alternatives make me smile. They should have thought about the consequences of their actions. And yes they are like nuclear waste, let's just dig a hole and bury them!No kidding! THey should have thought about it before they did what they did!

IMO...being a survivor, and from a family of sibling survivors.....there should be 1 strike, that's it....you F&*% with a child one time, in any way shape or form, your DEAD....Death Penalty...no if and or buts about it...you mess with a child, you DIE....I bet that would take the # of predators out there down a bit.....once they start seeing fellow predators getting shot in the forhead for touching a little boy or girl, they may think twice before touching/hurting a child! JMO of course.

[Reader]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SEX_OFFENDERS_BUS_STOPS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

ATLANTA (AP) -- A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Georgia from making registered sex offenders live more than 1,000 feet away from school bus stops.

U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper extended an earlier decision that covered eight sex offenders suing over the new law, which would have taken effect Saturday. He will decide whether to make his ruling permanent July 11.

The state is preparing to appeal, attorney general's office spokesman Russ Willard said.

[christine2448]

No kidding! THey should have thought about it before they did what they did!

IMO...being a survivor, and from a family of sibling survivors.....there should be 1 strike, that's it....you F&*% with a child one time, in any way shape or form, your DEAD....Death Penalty...no if and or buts about it...you mess with a child, you DIE....I bet that would take the # of predators out there down a bit.....once they start seeing fellow predators getting shot in the forhead for touching a little boy or girl, they may think twice before touching/hurting a child! JMO of course.
I think my view, in 24 hours, has changed....this was always my view, (my quote above)...however, I heard on a talk show this morning....if we had the DP for SO's....then they may more likely kill the child....kill the 'witness'...if they know if they are caught they will face DP....I never thought of it like that.

[Reader]

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=81477

ATLANTA (AP) -- Georgia's top lawyer fired back Friday at a federal judge's ruling that temporarily prevents the state from banning registered sex offenders from living near school bus stops.

In a notice of appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Attorney General Thurbert Baker said the judge's decision "has put the state's children at risk of assault at a place where there is generally little to no supervision."

The filing comes a day after U.S. District Judge Clarence Cooper issued an order that prevents the state from enforcing a new law set to take effect Saturday that blocks Georgia's roughly 11,000 registered sex offenders from living near school bus stops.

The rest of the sweeping law, which stiffens minimum prison sentences and requires certain offenders to wear electronic monitoring devices, will still take effect.

[Reader]

Judge removes hold on Ga. law:

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=82458

A federal judge did not extend a temporary order blocking the state of Georgia from banning sex offenders from living within a thousand feet of school bus stops.
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State attorneys argue that the provision is necessary to protect children. They also disputed claims that sex offenders would be forced to move, arguing that untold numbers of the state's bus stops are not officially designated by a school board.

Cooper seemed swayed by the state's argument. He said he found no evidence that indicated whether local school boards had designated bus stops.

[angelmom]

Okay, I live in GA and am thrilled to see tough laws for sex offenders, but I have a few questions about enforcement.

1) Bus stops change often, sometimes in the same school year. Will the school system have to notify everyone about the proposed stops? What if the offender owns a home and cannot sell it in time for the change? What if they rent and cannot get out of their lease in time for the change? We are in an area that has frequent rezonings so kids sometimes go to 2 or 3 different elementary schools without moving. I can't imagine the bus stop changes or the school system having to give notice every time they want to update the stops. This could be a difference of not being able to change an unsafe stop for however long so they have time to notify everyone.

2) Where can you live that is 1000 feet from any of those places? Nowhere around me that I can even picture. There is one "adults only" apartment complex, but it's pretty pricey. And you'd have to have some money to buy or rent on any acreage. Not exactly affordable for someone who recently got out of prison. Again, I'm not feeling sorry for them, but trying to figure out what they're going to do. The only thing I can think of is not register, which is even worse.

3) What about people who were required to register as a sex offender for something...how do I put this?...not exactly what you think of when you think of a child molester? We've had posts on this site about people being required to register for anything from peeing behind a bush to consensual sex between two teens. Some of these people may have simply made a mistake and are now branded for life, even if they've gone on with theirs. There's a guy who lives near my parents who was caught in this mess. His longtime girlfriend lied about her age, AND SO DID HER MOTHER who then pressed charges. Another of Mom's neighbors actually spoke to his parole officer who confirmed this. He even lived with the girlfriend and the mom for awhile. This 19 year old boy (and he is a boy) is labeled forever because of this. He is living with his parents and helping to care for his disabled mother and keeps having to deal with the freaked out parents who find his name and address on a website.


Like I said, I think this is the right direction, but it has the feel of something that hasn't been completely thought through. Am I missing something?

[SewingDeb]

Yep....you're missing the fact that they just plain don't want them living in Georgia.

I don't think anyone should be on the registry other than Level III predators and if lawmakers had any sense at all, those level III predators would never leave prison thereby negating a need for a registry.

If it helps any, the sheriff says they do not plan to enforce this.

[Reader]

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=84657

“Dateline NBC” shows off 11 Metro Atlanta men who showed up at a sting house set up as part of the news show’s “To Catch A Predator” series on Wednesday night.

The men allegedly propositioned who they thought was a girl between 13 and 15 years old over the internet.

The sting took place at a rented house in Fortson, Ga., near Columbus. But 11 of those arrested were from Metro Atlanta. Several of them appeared in court in Harris County earlier this month. Some are married, some have professional jobs, and one is a serviceman who served in the war in Iraq.

All face charges of obscene internet contact and attempted child molestation.

“The men walked into a house, where they thought a young teen was home alone, hoping to have a sexual liason with these kids,” said “Dateline’s” Chris Hansen.

[SewingDeb]

Good! They are doing a tremendous public service.

[Details]

Yep....you're missing the fact that they just plain don't want them living in Georgia.

I don't think anyone should be on the registry other than Level III predators and if lawmakers had any sense at all, those level III predators would never leave prison thereby negating a need for a registry.

If it helps any, the sheriff says they do not plan to enforce this.Unenforced laws are the worst - they give people the impression that you can ignore laws, and they mean that a charismatic, harmless looking baaaaaad pedophile will be able to talk the police out of bugging him, while the 18 teenager who got caught with his girlfriend, and has some little dispute with the local sheriff will be kicked out of his house. It just leaves too much open to harassment and ignoring people who shouldn't be ignored.

Define 'sex offender' properly to mean only the dangerous ones, make the laws apply to the people we're really concerned about, not to the poor idiot caught urinating in the bushes - just because lawmakers don't want to have to explain why not all sex offenders are covered.

[SewingDeb]

Unenforced laws are the worst - they give people the impression that you can ignore laws, and they mean that a charismatic, harmless looking baaaaaad pedophile will be able to talk the police out of bugging him, while the 18 teenager who got caught with his girlfriend, and has some little dispute with the local sheriff will be kicked out of his house. It just leaves too much open to harassment and ignoring people who shouldn't be ignored.

Define 'sex offender' properly to mean only the dangerous ones, make the laws apply to the people we're really concerned about, not to the poor idiot caught urinating in the bushes - just because lawmakers don't want to have to explain why not all sex offenders are covered.

I agree with you 100%. I've read somewhere that they are paid $35 for each offender who registers and that's when the registries were expanded to include all sex offenders, not just predators.

[angelmom]

Exhibit A:

Genarlow Wilson is 20 years old now and has spent the last 18 months and 27 days of his life in a Georgia prison for the crime of having consensual oral sex with a girl when he was 17, and she was 15...

Jaunnessa Bennett, who says her life has been "destroyed" by a jury's conviction of her son in April 2005 on the charge of aggravated child molestation, which carries a mandatory 10-year sentence...

Wilson played high school football and carried a 3.2 grade-point average and planned to attend college, she said. He had never had any trouble with the law.

"He is a good boy," Bennett said. "This is worse than any movie that could come out. You want to say the system is working for you to protect you, and then you see people who commit real serious crimes getting away with it or getting one year or two. And my son gets 10 years for consensual sex."

more at link...
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2006/09/16/metwilson0916a.html

[concernedperson]

I really didn't know where to put this but since it was an ajc article I thought to put it here.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/09/19/0919judge.html

Also, there was another article about Gov.Perdue authorizing funds for GBI to extend the predator law. I need to search as this was early this am. But, proactive is the key word right now.

I don't believe any laws are directed at people pissing in a park but rather sexual predators and pornagraphers.

[Details]

The problem is, a lot of the laws refer simply to the category of lawbreaking, and back before this stuff was taken seriously, everything that has anything to do with the 'naughty bits' was grouped into "sex offenses", which makes that public urinator a "sex offender". I don't know about this law in particular, but as you can see from the post above yours, there are lots of shades of gray that don't deserve at all the treatment that a child pornographer does.

[angelmom]

The problem is, a lot of the laws refer simply to the category of lawbreaking, and back before this stuff was taken seriously, everything that has anything to do with the 'naughty bits' was grouped into "sex offenses", which makes that public urinator a "sex offender". I don't know about this law in particular, but as you can see from the post above yours, there are lots of shades of gray that don't deserve at all the treatment that a child pornographer does.

You're right. This is exactly the problem. I assume that if they tried to go back and re-categorize everyone, there would be all kinds of legal headaches about how to decide who's on which list. People who took a plea deal might argue that they wouldn't have done so if they had known this would happen...and they'd have a valid point. The lawyers, as usual, would be the only ones to win.

[Details]

You're right. This is exactly the problem. I assume that if they tried to go back and re-categorize everyone, there would be all kinds of legal headaches about how to decide who's on which list. People who took a plea deal might argue that they wouldn't have done so if they had known this would happen...and they'd have a valid point. The lawyers, as usual, would be the only ones to win.I think that could be worked with, since right now it's all sex offenders, and it'd be letting some of them off the hook, since they aren't the ones we're interested in.

What I think is the problem is that politicians are paralyzed with fear of being considered soft on sex offenders, so they just don't want to open up the topic - even though their cowardice on this matter leads to these minor, unoffensive sex offenders being treated the same as the pedophile down the block.

[concernedperson]

Bill targets shutter bug sex offenders. Pretty cool.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/01/19/0119pics.html

[angelmom]

I think the intent is good, but this will never fly. It's virtually impossible to enforce, unless the guy is being totally in your face, like the one in the story.

Couldn't they use stalking laws to get him? Or loitering laws?

[Taximom]

I think the intent is good, but this will never fly. It's virtually impossible to enforce, unless the guy is being totally in your face, like the one in the story.

Couldn't they use stalking laws to get him? Or loitering laws?
I agree with you here. The changing location of bus stops alone makes this part of the law hard to manage.

As it is, our city has a hard time managing the RSO's here. It's aggravating. There's just not enough manpower in our police force.

These laws make people think they are being enforced and that people can relax, when in reality they shouldn't.

[SeriouslySearching]

Here's a link to some information about the new Georgia sex offender law that will take effect on July 1. There is some controversy and a lawsuit coming up already about banning sex offenders from living close to school bus stops.

It is a tough law but some people made comments that it will be hard to enforce and may make the offenders stop registering and reporting to their probation officers.

What do you think about it?

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SEX_OFFENDERS?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

While many states and municipalities bar sex offenders from living near schools, Georgia's law, which takes effect July 1, prohibits them from living, working or loitering within 1,000 feet of just about anywhere children gather - schools, churches, parks, gyms, swimming pools or one of the state's 150,000 school bus stops.

That puts virtually every residential neighborhood off limits to Georgia's more than 10,000 registered sex offenders.
-------------------------------
With the law about to take effect, a debate is under way over how tough is too tough.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of Collins and others this week in federal court by the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights argues that the law makes it impossible for offenders to live in most of the state's urban and suburban areas. It predicted that many will have to live out of their cars or set up tents or trailers in the woods. The center also warned that the law will undermine efforts to keep track of offenders.

"The reality is that the restrictions are so tough that they are going to backfire by causing people not to report and re-register with their probation officers," said Sara Totonchi, the center's public policy director. "As a result, the number of people who will abscond from the registry will increase. And we won't be able to supervise them."
-------------------------
Under the Georgia law, those deemed sexually dangerous predators also would have to wear electronic monitoring devices for the rest of their lives after their release from prison. The law also increases prison sentences for rape, child molestation and other charges from 10 years to a mandatory minimum of 25 years and makes it a crime to harbor a sex offender.

While at least 15 states also restrict how close sex offenders can live to schools or day-care centers, Georgia is the only state to explicitly bar them from living near school bus stops, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The logical solution is child predators/rapists SHOULD NOT be released! It is innate and they will always BE sexually dysfunctional and dangerous. Forget about monitoring. Forget about them living in our neighborhoods. Forget about their rights on the outside. They should be locked up for life in the general population (why shield them from other inmates?). Let's get our lawmakers to understand that child predators/rapists and murderers are not equal...child predators/rapists are MUCH WORSE! I say take away even the 3 strike rule and let's go for 1 strike you are IN...forever! The problem right now lies with our laws and our juries. (Six years for raping a child is NOT a sentence...it is a slap on the wrist and I saw this case happen right here!) Change the laws and change the way we view the scum that prey on our children and women! It is OUR right to protect ourselves and our absolute DUTY to protect our children.

[SewingDeb]

Amen!

[angelmom]

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/legis07/stories/2007/02/02/0202metlegphoto.html

Senate panel OKs sex offender bill
Minors could not be photographed

By CARLOS CAMPOS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 02/02/07

David and Vickie Lewis drove more than four hours through freezing rain to tell state lawmakers about a chilling encounter their daughter had with a registered sex offender.

Their goal was to change state law, and the couple from coastal Georgia's Richmond Hill succeeded in clearing the first hurdle.

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 1, a proposal by Senate President Pro Tem Eric Johnson (R-Savannah) that would prohibit registered sex offenders from taking photos of minors...

Lewis told lawmakers about how a stranger took multiple photos of their teenage daughter with a cellphone camera and made inappropriate comments while she worked behind the counter at a coffee shop. Lewis later learned the man was a registered sex offender in Massachusetts, and she was shocked to find out from the local police it was legal for him to take such photos....

Defense lawyers and civil libertarians raised questions about the potential for the bill to criminalize people taking photos of their own children, or accidentally snapping pictures of children in the background.

Sen. Kasim Reed (D-Atlanta) succeeded in adding an amendment to the bill that allows parents and guardians to give consent to someone taking photos of their children. The amendment also guards against the taking of pictures of children who might accidentally wander into a scene.

The couple said they were compelled to act after what happened to their daughter.

"It's your responsibility, once this comes into your pathway, to do something about it," said David Lewis, 60.

more at link