Georgia. Georgia. Georgia.
You were doing so well...
The Supreme Court of Georgia has ruled that the state may require placement of even non-sex offenders on the sex offender registry. This would require them to get permission to travel across state lines, are banned from social networking, can have their photos posted online, and, obviously, has HUGE stigma for being labelled a sexual deviant.
Jake Rainer was charged with false imprisonment when he was 18 for briefly detaining a 17-year-old girl during a soured drug deal. By a federal law, the state are required to have statutes requiring sex-offender registration for those convicted of kidnapping or falsely imprisoning minors. The court ruled that the plain meaning of 'sex offender' is overridden by the state's law.
At least there were some dissenting opinions. Two wrote that because registration places limits on where the offenders may live, work and congregate, it 'is not a requirement that should not be imposed cavalierly.'
Rainer is waiting to see if Georgia changes its law before going to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's hoping Georgia wises up before it needs to get to that level.
Not holding my breath, Georgia.
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