Low risk sex offenders may get a break

3-18-2010 Georgia:

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Under a new bill (HB-571) that has cleared the Georgia House, some low risk sex offenders would be able to get off the state's registry.

The legislation would let certain inmates petition the courts to remove them from the state sex offender registry after completing their sentences, like the disabled, and so-called Romeo and Juliet statutory rape cases, in which the teens are close in age.

"As a person charged with statutory rape, instead of having to wait for the ten years that the law says they have to wait to have removal from the list, they can now petition the courts earlier," said Dougherty County Sheriff Kevin Sproul.

"The Judge will make the final decision, but it will give them some guidelines to make the decision," said Dougherty District Attorney Greg Edwards.

The legislation was introduced last year, and also makes other changes to bring Georgia's tough sex offender law in line with court rulings. The vote was 165 to 1 passing the bill. ..Source.. Jim Wallace