Fairness for Prisoners' Families
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Fairness for Prisoners' Families
Use caution with sex-offender law
Macon Telegraph Editorial
September 30, 2005The Republican-led General Assembly is cranking up to enact a new law intended to impose far harsher penalties, including virtually life-time sentences in some instances, for persons convicted of sex crimes. The intent, to make life extremely unpleasant, particularly for those who are convicted of crimes involving children, certainly has merit.
House members started working on legislation last spring following the arrest of two known sex offenders charged in the unrelated deaths of two girls in Florida, one 13 and the other 9. The draft measure was presented Wednesday to the House Judiciary Committee by House Majority Leader Jerry Keen of St. Simons Island, who emphasizes that the lawmakers' intent is to have a law that is the "toughest in the country."
Fine. Getting tough with sex offenders has a good ring to it, and if the Legislature wants to set its sights on "sexually dangerous predators," then that's fine, too. But lawmakers need to remember that they're dealing with an emotional issue, and if they aren't careful, they could approve a law that's loaded with unintended consequences. A note of caution here. While the sex crimes we hear the most about are those involving extreme violence toward women and molestations and frequent deaths of children, the reality is that far more crimes - and technically they are crimes - fall in the realm of children having sex with other children, young teens whose activities might fall in the statutory rape category.
Lawmakers, in their zeal to clamp down on those who present a serious threat to the lives and well-being of others, should heed the suggestion of Pat Head, district attorney of Cobb County. While supporting efforts to strengthen Georgia's sex offender laws, he urges that the General Assembly be careful to ensure that it doesn't require the same tougher penalties for young people guilty of "indiscretion" as those imposed on hardened criminals.
By all means, let's make life miserable for the sexual predator and the pedophile, but at the same time let's make sure the law doesn't overreach.
