No this is not a story out of Tehran. In Georgia, a federal court is considering an interesting challenge to the state’s sex offender laws. Wendy Whitaker, 28, has had enough. She was put on the sex offender list after being found guilty of having oral sex at 17 with a 15-year-old boy. She has now had to move twice because she is not allowed to live within 1,000 feet of places where children congregate. She has been told that her new home is also off limits because it is near a church.
Whitaker should not be on any sex offender list to start with. Her case is another example of how some prosecutors fail to use basic common sense and discretion. Teen sex should be a parental not a criminal matter. It is an outrage that prosecutors took such a case and prosecuted Whitaker. However, this is the state that gave us the Genarlow Wilson outrage, here.
States and cities have been passing more and more stringent residency limitations for sex offenders. This has led some to become homeless because they cannot practically rent a home — a counterproductive result since they become less trackable. However, the biggest problem is the scope of the sex offender laws. The inclusion of teens on such a list is ridiculous and debilitating. Hopefully, Whitaker’s case will force legislators and prosecutors to show some responsibility themselves. While it may be popular in the Bible Belt to prosecute teens as criminals and put them on the same list as child molesters, it serves neither justice nor society.
For the full story, click here.
Do not mind the s, I meant the one in the USA off course. It works with every other Georgia in the world as well, though.
By the way : if Georgias does not suit you, there are dozens of other states and if the USA are not good enough for you, ask your nearest Saudian embassy.
Who’s the stupid idiot that compares puritans and talebans ? The ones founded America such a way it soon became a rich country, the other ones just want to destroy it and spread misery and poverty wherever they go !
There is a pretty good rationale today that Americans are simply stupid. The resistance to universal healthcare is appalling. The reason it will not work well is that the USA is full of both official thieves and people incapable of work ethic and vision required for effective public services. So, pass healthcare legislation and then confront the fact that your government and people are so greedy, lazy and corrupt.
“No, that was done in 1880’s through the 1950’s. Georgia was second only to Mississippi in the total numbers. They used trees instead of firing squads and were “generous” enough to include male as well as female African-Americans. Sometimes you could see the badges of the cops underneath those satiny white robes. They are much more subtle now against people they don’t like. History is fun. You should try it sometime.”
Such tolerance, such reasoned arguing. I’ve been convinced in your superior position.
I eagerly await your denouncement of Massachusetts for hanging witches.
Everything about this case is outrageous. First, she committed (what should be considered) a minor infraction when she herself was still a juvenile. They should have given her some counseling and left it at that! She shouldn’t have a criminal record 11 years later, let alone be on the sex offender registry. Georgia’s sex offender laws are the worst in America and, for that matter, some of the worst laws ever written, period. In another Georgia case, a homeless sex offender is facing a MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCE because (being homeless) he could not provide a valid residence address on two occasions. A mandatory life sentence for two technical violations??? What were Georgia lawmakers thinking? Hopefully, this entire law will finally be torn apart by the GA Supreme Court.
Susan,
The Bhurka suggestion just might be what women in Georgia need to protect themselves from being “lawbreakers”.
Rafflaw wrote:
By the way Dundar, is it only women who have sex prior to marriage that you consider a prostitute?
***************
That wouldn’t surprise me a bit. I’m sure he doesn’t much like women who wear “loose” clothing (anything but a bhurka or FLDS-style pioneer dress) either.
My guess; when she was 17 years old, Ms. Whitaker had NO idea that sex with a 15-year-old was against the law. I’m wondering how many teenagers, IF any at all, have read their state’s penal codes on what actually constitutes ILLEGAL sex? I’m going to say ZERO. Here’s a question for overzealous, anti-teen-sex prosecutors too; did THEY know what their state’s penal codes were on “illegal sex” at the time THEY were teenagers? I would say probably NOT.
Hugh:
Damn, wish I ‘d have said that!
Dundar:
“The good citizens of Georgia are not executing by firing squads women just accused of being prostitutes.”
Yet.
I would like to see the underage prosecution/conviction/sentencing numbers broken down between similarly situated girls and boys. There is a stong attitude of punishment in this society towards girls having sex.
There are cases when I think sex between teens should be both a parental and state concern. Incest, for example. Sex with a young person who has no ability to consent. This case seems like a state vendette against a young woman. I have seen sexual abuse by teens of other teens and even younger children. These cases are cause for intervention. That intervention needs to be considered quite carefully, both to assure protection of and justice for the victim and the life consequences for the perpetrator.
The following illustrates my reservations. I started working with a 9 year old girl who told me her brother had tried to cut her head off with scissors. I called Children Services’ Board and was promptly informed that they would not investigate sibling on sibling abuse. I also informed the school who thankfully, took immediate action. It turns out that the 13 year old brother had seen his father shot dead by the police not to long before this happened with his sister. Do I think the boy should be brought to court as an offender? Absolutely not. Do I think his sister needed immediate protection? Absolutely.
Maybe Dundar still has his white robe in the closet. Just one more reason not to live in Georgia or Mississippi. These draconian measures do not stop the activities they are trying to stop and they just cause this kind of damage to the kids who are stuck in this maze of legislative nonsense. By the way Dundar, is it only women who have sex prior to marriage that you consider a prostitute?
dundar:
No, that was done in 1880’s through the 1950’s. Georgia was second only to Mississippi in the total numbers. They used trees instead of firing squads and were “generous” enough to include male as well as female African-Americans. Sometimes you could see the badges of the cops underneath those satiny white robes. They are much more subtle now against people they don’t like. History is fun. You should try it sometime.
Comparing Georgia citizens to Taliban is ridiculous.
The good citizens of Georgia are not executing by firing squads women just accused of being prostitutes.
What the Taliban do by religious strictures, the good citizens of Georgia do by legislative enactment. Who says the Puritans are dead and gone? Not me. Tell the last sane person leaving out of that State to turn out the lights. Well Newt Gingrich will still be there, so forget it.