The topic of yesterday’s Cato Daily Podcast was Genarlow Wilson, or Georgia inmate No. 1187055. Wilson is the 17 year-old high school student that had consensual sex with a 15 year-old and is now serving a ten year prison sentence for his “crime.”
Today was the 13th day of the session and this kid is still sitting behind bars. As Erick has previously said, “Can’t we get this guy pardoned?”
Legislation has been introduced that would change the law and make it retroactive prior to July 1, 2006. It is currently sitting in the Senate Judiciary Committee awaiting action.
Someone needs to intervene on this kid’s behalf.
{ 20 comments }
mitchmartin 02.01.07 at 9:28 pm
Don’t you mean the pot-smoking, whiskey-drinking, gang-banging 17-year old Genarlow Wilson?
Judge Learned Hand 02.01.07 at 9:58 pm
Mitch, thanks for actually admitting what Wilson really is… I don’t understand why some folks think he is above being responsible for his actions. How many times did the prosecutor offer him plea bargains of reduced sentences–deals he refused?
Jason Pye 02.01.07 at 10:01 pm
I guess he deserves to burn in hell then.
Chris Farris 02.01.07 at 10:04 pm
I don’t think smoking pot, drinking wiskey or having consensual sex is a good reason to ruin a person’s life.
Jason Pye 02.01.07 at 10:12 pm
He turned those down because he would have had to admit that he was a sex offender, which he is not. He engaged in consensual oral sex with someone that is two years younger then him, that is not a reason to lock him up for ten years.
DougieFresh 02.01.07 at 10:15 pm
He was guilty of contempt of prosecutor.
memberg 02.01.07 at 10:39 pm
JP, not to get into it, but intoxicated 15-year-olds cannot legally give consent. Frankly, I don’t care what a 15 year old “consents” to. The statutory rape law is there to protect children from themselves as well as slimy boyfriends (or girlfriends). At the end of the day, no one is hurt by the age of consent.
That said, I think the law should provide some sort of out. I think for a first offense of statutory rape, if the offender is a minor, has no criminal record, the victim is 15, and s/he would have given legal consent if s/he were 16, then the offender should get like 300 hours of community service and not have to register as a sex offender. (Sorry for the long sentence.)
Know Nothing 02.01.07 at 10:42 pm
laws “protecting children from themselves”: making parents obsolete since 2007.
Jason Pye 02.01.07 at 11:20 pm
memberg,
I’ll give that to you on the consent. I still don’t think he should be punished though. It’s only a two year age difference.
But had they actually had intercourse, it would have only been a misdemeanor, a loop hole in the law makes it a felony for oral sex.
John Galt 02.02.07 at 4:26 am
If the entire GOP delegation wasn’t running for Governor, Genarlow might be in school instead of jail.
Josh D Ondich 02.02.07 at 8:33 am
Maybe that is what the GOP will be good at . is running for Governor. 2008 presidential election is not looking too good for any Republican candidate execpt Rudy Giuliani. I predict the 2008 Presidential Election will be Hillary Clinoton vs Rudy Giuliani.
chrisishardcore 02.02.07 at 8:51 am
On the other hand Sonny should have no problem making a law retroactive.
LoyaltyIsMyHonor 02.02.07 at 9:43 am
He’s got to be guilty of something, so why not keep him in prison?
Mad Dog 02.02.07 at 11:30 am
Control Congress has talked this up, too.
No one seems to mention the honorable Mr. Wilson and his five friends made videos of their drug and alcohol induced orgy.
Now, making porn vids of underage girls does or does not make him a perv?
Isn’t he in jail for being a perv?
And, not to forget the 15 year alleged rape when she came out of her drug and alcohol induced coma.
The point isn’t a blowjob.
It’s the overall denial of Mr. Wilson that society has any laws.
Jason Pye 02.02.07 at 11:41 am
The prosecution has acknowledged that she initiated the act.
I’m not condoning his activities, but 10 years? That’s outrageous.
Burdell 02.02.07 at 12:08 pm
If this were just about pardoning this one kid, I would not by sympathetic; however, in this case the process seems to be working for everyone except Wilson.
What I mean is that the law is probably a stupid law (anything intended to “protect” someone “from themselves” is a stupid law), but it is the law and it was followed. We didn’t just ignore the law, which would have been worse in the long run. Now, however, we’ve realized that it is a stupid law and it’s been changed. All anybody wants now is for the state to acknowledge that Wilson should be held to the new standard, since his case is what brought the stupidity of the law into the spotlight.
This is a reasonable request, I think.
Wilson did the crime, and he did time, but enough is enough.
memberg 02.02.07 at 3:34 pm
At this point, he should just agree to a commuted sentence in exchange for registering as a sex offender.
DMZDave 02.02.07 at 4:29 pm
I repeat the point I made the other day. If the 15 year old girl had shot Wilson instead of blowing him, is there anyone who doubts the prosecutor would have tried her as an adult? Wilson is in jail for 10 years because he couldn’t believe this was happening and he was “uppity” with the prosecutor. Everyone looks stupid here, the girl, Wilson, the prosecutor, the county and Georgia. What we need in this state is an Office of Emergency Adult Supervision though there a lot of territory to cover for just one office.
Mad Dog 02.03.07 at 10:19 am
I’m sure he was a first time porn maker.
Never been caught making porn vids with 15 year stars.
What about the other five?
Since they are not high school football stars, let them rot behind bars?
Small minds amaze me.
Mad Dog 02.03.07 at 7:23 pm
Just to be mean …
Why doesn’t Sonny pardon the poor kid?
Ask him the next time he’s giving a public press conference … whenever that might be…
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