10 years in prison for oral sex

[Chizip]

link

ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia Supreme Court has turned down an appeal from a teen who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having sex with a 15-year-old.

In a ruling released Friday, the court denied a motion for reconsideration filed by lawyers for Genarlow Wilson, who was 17 when he and the 15-year-old engaged in consensual oral sex. He was sentenced for aggravated child molestation.

Wilson’s case was one of two cases that were cited earlier this year when lawmakers passed a law that otherwise strengthened penalties for sex offenders, but reduced the penalty from a felony to a misdemeanor for some teenagers convicted of sodomy.
Presiding Justice Carol Hunstein noted that in easing the penalties for teens, ‘‘the Legislature expressly chose not to allow the provisions of the new amendments to affect persons convicted under the previous version of the statute.’’

Hunstein added she was ‘‘very sympathetic to Wilson’s argument regarding the injustice of sentencing this promising young man with good grades and no criminal history to 10 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,’’ but said the court was bound the by limits set by the Legislature.

I guess 15 is pretty young, but it's not like this is some adult preying on a minor, the guy was only 17 himself. He's never been in trouble his whole life, and now he's going to prison for 10 years and forever labelled as a sex offender?

Seems a bit extreme.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Very, very extreme.

 

[deep]

black man

white girl

good thing we got
anti-lynching law passed

 

[Lila64]

Very, very extreme.

 

[redhotswami]

black man

white girl

good thing we got
anti-lynching law passed

damn.

 

[Earnie Shavers]

If you are at the younger end of 17, and the other person is at the older end of 15, you could well be only a school year apart. As if anyone would really think twice about someone in only one grade below them?

 

[Chizip]

In both articles I've seen of this, the race of the girl wasn't mentioned. Did you see somewhere that she was white?

From what I got out of it, both the judge and the jurors didn't agree with the law in this case, but there was nothing they could do. The oral sex was on tape, so they had to find him guilty, and the mandatory punishment was 10 years in prison. Basically it's a fucked up law, I don't see how it's racial.

But there was one other charge the jury had to decide on. The second girl in the videotape was 15, and the age of consent in Georgia is 16. And under state law, prosecutors charged Wilson with aggravated child molestation. To those close to the young man, it was an outrage.

"Nobody could believe that this is the law," Mann said.

Even jurors frowned on the charge. "A bad law, absolutely," Manigault said.

In Georgia, up until 1998 having oral sex with your SPOUSE, was considered a crime that was punishable up to 20 years in prison. There are some crazy laws out there.

 

[dazzlingamy]

omg that poor guy

I mean i take sexual molestation very seriously and believe it should be punished VERY severly. But, this just seems so wrong, if it was consential, she was 15, and omg he was 17! stupid laws sometimes

 

[deep]

In both articles I've seen of this, the race of the girl wasn't mentioned. Did you see somewhere that she was white?

unfortunate reality!
By: ReePrice
12/19/2006 11:00:15 AM

My opinion as a white female married to a black man. Had the 15 yr old female been black, this
Expand message
My opinion as a white female married to a black man. Had the 15 yr old female been black, this would be a non issue. Dealing with prejudices daily, I see that racism is still very alive and well. It is sad but true. Unfortunately, Genarlow made a mistake that he will pay for the rest of his life.

http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/gwilson1218?view=Forum&message_id=248015#forum_msg_248015

 

[Chizip]

ah i see

well there may have been a racial element, but i dont know how big of a role it played in this case.

basically the jury and judge didnt want him to serve this sentence, but they had to because the punishment was mandatory due to the law.



btw - i read the article on that site, and it didnt mention race either. do the people who commented on the story have inside information or are they just assuming she was white?

 

[jacobus]

what a shame...hypocritical sentence
amerika, amerika, amerika ist wunderbar,
amerika, amerika, coca-cola, sometimes war

 

[indra]

This is an example of why mandatory sentences suck. It clearly was not molestation and there should be room left for exceptions. Only an idiot would not realise there would be honest and reasonable exceptions which this law could catch and unjustly punish.

It's also an example of why videoing your fun is not such a great idea either.

 

[Liesje]

I'd rather have a law about videotaping a minor engaged in sex than a law barring two kids from fooling around

 

[Irvine511]

what a shame...hypocritical sentence
amerika, amerika, amerika ist wunderbar,
amerika, amerika, coca-cola, sometimes war

wtf are you talking about?

do you have any thoughts beyond "amerika sux" and "bush ist anit-christ"?

or is the scope of your political worldview limited to ultra-easy targets and simplistic, convenient condemnations?

but keep drinking those coca-colas and wearing those nikes and listening to Fergie.

you Euros love that shit.

:sheesh:

 

[Ormus]

wtf are you talking about?

do you have any thoughts beyond "amerika sux" and "bush ist anit-christ"?

or is the scope of your political worldview limited to ultra-easy targets and simplistic, convenient condemnations?

but keep drinking those coca-colas and wearing those nikes and listening to Fergie.

you Euros love that shit.

:sheesh:

All the more ironic, considering he says he's from Bavaria, which is probably the most conservative state in Germany.

 

[maycocksean]

Okay so the judge and the jury "had to convict." Did the prosecution "have" to press charges? I can't help thinking that SOMEbody wanted this to happen.

I'm still waiting for some concrete confirmation as to whether the race of those involved, but one thing is for certain. If indeed the girl was white, you can be damn sure that race had everything to do with how this whole thing came down.

And this is in Georgia? Come on, now. . .

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

In Georgia, up until 1998 having oral sex with your SPOUSE, was considered a crime that was punishable up to 20 years in prison. There are some crazy laws out there.

Indeed.

 

[BVS]

Sad...

 

[Pearl]

I feel sorry for the both of them. Now the guy is going to be treated like an outcast in society for such a little thing

 

[jacobus]

Irvine511: wtf are you talking about? do you have any thoughts beyond "amerika sux" and "bush ist anit-christ"? or is the scope of your political worldview limited to ultra-easy targets and simplistic, convenient condemnations? but keep drinking those coca-colas and wearing those nikes and listening to Fergie.
you Euros love that shit. :sheesh:

hahahaha thats good. but seriously whats wrong with your nation?! many people worldwide still asking this question... imo your US society is a society based on hypocrisy. too many of religious zealots have too much power... and re-electing that stupid texas cowboy bush and his criminals for a 2nd period is on the same low level like our forefathers have done in germany electing the nazi party, bringin' on the bastard hitler and making the holocaust possible. your president george w. bush is the no.1 hypocrite of all. and you know it. he is a damned liar and he is a big disgrace, not only for the US but for the whole world.

ps: i don't like coca-cola or pepsi, i don't wear nike and who the f*** is fergie?

 

[Sevikins]

^The law has nothing to do with George W. Bush, or his administration. If anything, people should be criticizing why on earth these stupid laws still exist!

That is sad though... much like the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

 

[redkat]

Seems like it would be pretty easy to modify these laws to require an age difference of a few years.

 

[Vincent Vega]

All the more ironic, considering he says he's from Bavaria, which is probably the most conservative state in Germany.

Please leave out the Germany, it's a shame.
Bavaria is so conservative, it even conserves better than formaldehyde.

I want to dissociate myself from Jacobus, sincerely.

 

[Varitek]

All the more ironic, considering he says he's from Bavaria, which is probably the most conservative state in Germany.

But the bier is sooooo good.

 

[Irvine511]

hahahaha thats good. but seriously whats wrong with your nation?! many people worldwide still asking this question... imo your US society is a society based on hypocrisy. too many of religious zealots have too much power... and re-electing that stupid texas cowboy bush and his criminals for a 2nd period is on the same low level like our forefathers have done in germany electing the nazi party, bringin' on the bastard hitler and making the holocaust possible. your president george w. bush is the no.1 hypocrite of all. and you know it. he is a damned liar and he is a big disgrace, not only for the US but for the whole world.

ps: i don't like coca-cola or pepsi, i don't wear nike and who the f*** is fergie?

um, i strongly dislike George Bush. if you've ever read my posts, you'd know that. i think he's a fool, a liar, and a disgrace, but i also know that reality is far, far more complicated than you'd like it to be.

you also know very, very little about US society as your comments indicate. you've got a series of shallow statements that you've' blown up to be inconvertable truths and what that does is just make you look ignorant.

i'd never compare George Bush with Nazi Germany, nor would i ever hold you accountable for Nazi Germany. i find that offensive. i've spent plenty of time in Germany since 1990 and i know that German politcs and the German people are complex and sophistocated and i'd never presume to walk in and lecture people on their system of government, their leaders, the will of the German people, etc.

please remember that George Bush has won two elections by some of the smallest margins in history, especially for a 2nd term president. his approval ratings have been around 36% since 2004 and his party was booted from power in the 2006 elections.

the US is a very, very complicated place. 300m people live here. please don't stereotype us and try to look more closely at the reasons why the US does certain things as opposed to taking a single action and then adapting it to fit whatever stereotype you've decided to utilize.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Sodomy has been illegal in a lot of states. Georgia was just one of them. Use your imagination, but it's not just oral sex. Basically it's anything other than "normal" sexual intercourse that is regarded as taboo. The is the US btw, so it's not really surprising. Some folks still wish it were 1955.

 

[Liesje]

hahahaha thats good. but seriously whats wrong with your nation?! many people worldwide still asking this question... imo your US society is a society based on hypocrisy. too many of religious zealots have too much power... and re-electing that stupid texas cowboy bush and his criminals for a 2nd period is on the same low level like our forefathers have done in germany electing the nazi party, bringin' on the bastard hitler and making the holocaust possible. your president george w. bush is the no.1 hypocrite of all. and you know it. he is a damned liar and he is a big disgrace, not only for the US but for the whole world.

Um.....GWB didn't write the Georgia rape statues, nor does he have any power in enforcing them. WTF are you even talking about? Obviously you have zero knowledge of criminal law and the court system in the US. If you want to compare GWB to the Nazi party, start your own thread. By all means, leave and start your own thread...

 

[YBORCITY]

I remember last year when a Judge in VT (I think) let a multiple offense Sex Offender off with just parole when he molested a young child repeatedly, admittedly he did this and got off.

And this young man gets 10 years for consensual sex? - you got to admit the US Judicial System works GREAT!!!

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

What can be done in these cases according to american law? Can he appeal to a Federal Court?

I can´t imagine on what grounds though... ? Surely, SOMETHING could be done...??

 

[Irvine511]

Sodomy has been illegal in a lot of states. Georgia was just one of them. Use your imagination, but it's not just oral sex. Basically it's anything other than "normal" sexual intercourse that is regarded as taboo. The is the US btw, so it's not really surprising. Some folks still wish it were 1955.

this is very true, though since Lawrence v Texas in 2003 all sodomy laws are now considered unconstitutional.

and if we are to go by biblical definitions of sodomy, it really does mean sex that has a purpose other than procreation.

so if you've had oral sex ... SODOMITE!
so if you've used birth control ... SODOMITE!
so if you've had lesbian sex ... SODOMITE!

pretty much all of us are sodomites!