Libertine: On the Prowl

Vidi, vici, veni -- I saw, I conquered, I came. _______________________________________________________________

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

12:07, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted in news .. 16 comments .. Link

Genarlow Wilson, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for getting a consensual blowjob from a 15 year old girl when he was 17, and would have been listed on a sex offender registry for life, was released from prison on Friday. He had already served two years of the original 10 year sentence.

The Georgia Supreme Court ordered that he be released, ruling 4-3 that his sentence was cruel and unusual punishment. The court noted that this kind of decision is unusual: "The majority opinion points out that this court rarely overturns a sentence on cruel and unusual grounds. But twice before, it did so following a legislative change."

The judge reduced the sentence to one year and said Wilson should not be put on Georgia's sex offender registry, as the old law required. Genarlow had earlier rejected a plea offer that would have left this requirement in place in exchange for his release. "I'm glad I stayed down for my cause," Wilson said. "I accepted the situation that I got myself into, but I never accepted that label."

After spending some time with his friends and family, Wilson intends to enroll in college to study sociology. "You will not be disappointed," he said after his release. "I plan on succeeding in life."

For once, the justice system gets it right and corrects an earlier injustice.

I wish him every success in life as he gets on with his life as a free man.
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12:34, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by sladewilson
ITA with you, Will. Finally, like you said, somebody gets it right.

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02:06, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by dantesinferno
What the... I thought all states had a "close in age exception" thing going on?

Madness

04:06, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by Chandramoon
Sounds like they got it right. How ridiculous to spend 10 years in jail for something two young people did! Jeez they'd have banged me up for sure at about 15 too! Of course you have to protect the young - but they were BOTH so young and consenting!

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07:14, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by jeremy
That is ridiculous as you say; it's also what comes from following the letter of the law rather than the spirit in which it was intended when it was added to the statute books. Thank goodness he got his life back.

Crazy

09:57, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by Patty
Glad he was released. Did the young girl tell someone, or how did they find out about this to begin with? I could see charging him with something Now IF he had held her at gunpoint and made her do it, IF he had some friends hold her and made her do it, the charges were stupid. Sounds like some parents who got upset thinking their daughter was to sweet to even think about doing something like that. I'm glad he was released and glad he doesn't have to be labled a sex offender.

Shoot, if that were the case, my Grandparents could have charged my Dad with rape, he was almost 18 and my Mom was 13 when she got pregnant and they got married. In this day and age, he probably would have served some time. Back then they got married, regardless if they really loved one and other.

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11:03, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by jeremy
If some 18 year old guy was to get my daughter (almost 13) pregnant then there's be no requirement for any legal proceedings, I'd have shot the guy dead myself.

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01:17, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by Aielman
As much as I think the kid should be free, and that they original sentence was bullshit...this ruling is just as much bullshit.

There's no way this was cruel and unusual...and we've already watered that term down enough that you can't give a guy a friggin shot in the arm without it being cruel and unusual.

It was stupid...it was wrong...it was misapplied. But it wasn't cruel and unusual.

Untitled Comment

01:29, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by dantesinferno
"you can't give a guy a friggin shot in the arm without it being cruel and unusual" - Next time, before you say that, and this is not meant to open some huge debacle but it is a truly valuable thing to keep in mind, remember that the method of execution currently approved by the US govt is a method created by Adolf Hitler's personal physician, and meant not to be easy for the executed but for the executor, and that the method fails to pass even the standard the govt holds up for euthanising pets. Just, you know, something to keep in mind. But I do agree that the term cruel and unusual has lost all of it's meaning due to overusage.

Untitled Comment

02:05, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by Aielman
"Next time, before you say that, and this is not meant to open some huge debacle but it is a truly valuable thing to keep in mind, remember that the method of execution currently approved by the US govt is a method created by Adolf Hitler's personal physician, and meant not to be easy for the executed but for the executor, and that the method fails to pass even the standard the govt holds up for euthanising pets."

Godwin's law in the first response. Nice.

Untitled Comment

02:13, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by dantesinferno
Firstly, that is childish coming from you. Expected, yes, but childish none the less. Second, it only applies if I am using Hitler to attack you, compare him to you or make reference to nazism in relation to something you say. Informing you that Hitler's personal doctor created a method of execution currently in use, is not exactly the same as me saying "Hey, you nazi there, what are you talking about".

The fact that leathal infection system is based on Hitler's Aktion T4 is reality. Sorry, but there it is. I suggest you check it up in a history book. You can stick your fingers in your ears and pray to Goodwin all you want, it won't change anything.

But, because it is easier for you to deflect reality instead of acknowleding it, then so be it.

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04:01, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by DeeJay
Thanks for posting this, Will! I'd heard about this case and was disgusted by how harshly they were treating him. It's nice to know things have been straightened out. : )

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10:14, 2007-Oct-27 .. Posted by littleMissConfused
I just read this in our newspaper and thought; I hope they give this kid back more then his freedom. They should be giving him some kind of pay back. He should never have spent the 2 years to begin with!

I hope he can come out of this and move forward with out being bitter. I don't know if I could knowing I didn't do anything wrong and then have to give up 2 years of my life for doing something almost every kid has done! There are a lot of them having consensual sex and they are just a few years apart in age. To ruin some ones life because of 17 year old hormones is ridiculous. I wonder how the girl carried on with her life while he was locked up?

Maybe they got it right finally.

04:59, 2007-Oct-28 .. Posted by oldmanlincoln
In spite of the fact that he got stuck in jail for two years, he is out now and I would bet he will end up in the legal system somewhere. I saw him on television last evening in the news and I was happy that he got out.

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09:30, 2007-Oct-28 .. Posted by thebigp
I think this is just an example of why you don't videotape yourself having sex. The 15 year old isn't even the one that called the police, it was another girl who claimed she was raped. That charge was dropped, but the cops just happened to spot Mr. Wilson getting a hummer from the youngin.

I just have to ask...where did the 15 year old's parents think she was???? Or did they even give a shit?

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09:11, 2007-Nov-1 .. Posted by lisalisabobisa
I still can't believe he even spent two years behind bars for that, but I'm glad he's released and he can start his life over now.

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02:31, 2007-Nov-5 .. Posted by grimfairy
Amen! It looks like someone finally snapped out of their brain fart. It's ridiculous that it took all this attention to state the obvious.