Could this happen to your child? Your brother? Your friend?
Genarlow Wilson sits in prison despite being a good son, a good athlete and high school student with a 3.2 GPA. He never had any criminal trouble. On the day he was to sit for the SAT, at seventeen years old, his life changed forever. He was arrested. In Douglas County he was accused of inappropriate sexual acts at a News Year’s Eve party. A jury acquitted him of the allegation of Rape but convicted him of Aggravated Child Molestation for a voluntary act of oral sex with another teenager. He was 17, and she was 15.
Along with the label “child molester” which will require him throughout his life to be on a sexual offender registry, Genarlow received a sentence of eleven years — a mandatory 10 years in prison and 1 year on probation.
On July 1st, the new Romeo and Juliet law went into effect in Georgia for any other teen that engages in consensual sexual acts. That change in the law means that no teen prosecuted for consensual oral sex could receive more than a 12 months sentence or be required to register as a sex offender.
Had this law been in effect when Genarlow Wilson was arrested, or had been done after the Marcus Dixon case, Genarlow would not now be in jail.
Genarlow and his mother are overjoyed that no one else in Georgia will have to know their pain. In the meantime, however, the legal fight goes on for Genarlow Wilson.
Genarlow has been incarcerated since February 25, 2005.
This case is fucked up. Go check out the official site. And there’s a Newsvine group dedicated to assembling information about it: http://wilsonpetition.newsvine.com/. You may have to join Newsvine to access it. I don’t know if invites are still required. If so, let me know, I’ll give you one.
The synopsis? This kid was convicted based on faulty law, law which has since been changed.
December 18, 2006
The Georgia Supreme Court rejected Genarlow Wilson’s Motion to Reconsider
In the opinion Justice Hunstein wrote for the Supreme Court: “….while I am very sympathetic to Wilson’s argument regarding the injustice of sentencing this promising young man with good grades and no criminal history to ten years in prison without parole and a lifetime registration as a sexual offender because he engaged in consensual oral sex with a 15 year old victim only two years his junior, this Court is bound by the Legislature’s determination that young persons in Wilson’s situation are not entitled to the misdemeanor treatment now accorded to identical behavior under OCGA 16-6-4” Chief Justice Sears dissented from the opinion.
Totally absurd. Take a moment and sign the petition. Write up a little blog post about it. You all know I REALLY hate child molesters. This kid is not a child molester.
Shit like this seriously makes me angry. I’m visibly angry right now. If it was a 17 year old girl and a 15 year old boy she would’ve walked her happy ass out of the courtroom free.
Bias against boys in society is evident everywhere. In the education system, in stores, in advertising, everywhere. Not only was this a GOOD kid but he’s locked up because legislatures everywhere just fuck around and make everything have a minumum mandatory sentencing and leaves no room for judges to JUDGE the defendant.
I think this is just another example.
So go write a post about it on your goddamn blog. Talk about it amongst your friends. Talk about it with people you’re hanging with right now on vacation, and make them all do something about it.
I agree that there is bias against boys.
And now our judicial system has gone ahead and done their best to create another angry, bitter man. Like we need more of those.
I’m not bitter I’m fucked up. There’s a difference. Some days.
This is pretty shitty. How do other states differ on this? I hope at least it was a good blow job.
For gods sake – United states of america needs to have a serious change in the lawsystem. A ton of laws that are outdated needs your attention MR POLITICIAN! … Dont just sit there. ACT!
This should remind people what a backward state Georgia is.
Too bad Wilson is not a college or professional football/basketball player. He would have received a slap on the hand and ended up a hero with his fans. Why are there 2 sets of rules for rich and poor people? The late Johnny Cochran said it best (after the OJ trial), “The color of justice is green.”
The US constitution provides two ways this unjustice could be prevented:
1) The jury has the right to determine that the law “does not apply” or that the law “is just plain stupid”. That is the peoples final check on the government from creating unjust laws.
Unfortunately, the jurors were incorrectly coached, as always, that they are only to determine guilt or innocence.
2) The governor could simply sign a pardon.
Unfortunately, the lame governor has instead pursued a legislative path to have the law revoked (but not retroactively).