This is outrageous and needs to be widely reported. I just read an article on ESPN.com about a talented and promising 17 year old man in Georgia who had consensual oral sex with a 15 year old and was sentenced to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
Read the entire article and if it doesn't outrage you, check your pulse...
ESPN Article
Here are a few excerpts:
When he was a senior in high school, he received oral sex from a 10th grader. He was 17. She was 15. Everyone, including the girl and the prosecution, agreed she initiated the act. But because of an archaic Georgia law, it was a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse, but a felony for the same kids to have oral sex.
Williams, another teenager involved in the case decided to take a plea agreement and according to Douglas County DA "take his medicine"
In Douglas County, according to law professors following the case, admitting sins and begging forgiveness -- not insisting on your innocence -- is the road to mercy. Williams is already out of jail, in part because McDade wrote a letter to the parole board, praising Williams for being the first to plead guilty and "take his medicine." As for Wilson, McDade called him a "martyr" in the media. Wilson refused to admit to being a child molester. If he pled to or was convicted of any charge that put him on the sex offender registry, he couldn't live at home with his younger sister. He wouldn't accept that, so he waited for his trial.
There is a website with information and people to contact if you want to express your outrage:
Wilson Appeal
Last December, The New York Times weighed in with an editorial:
NY Times Editorial
Atlanta Magazine has an article:
Why Is Genarlow Wilson in Prison?
When I was 20, I once spent a weekend in jail for being drunk and doing some stupid things. A weekend. And it was horrible. Imagine 10 years of your life! Crazy.
UPDATE: Just saw a promo on CNN that Anderson Cooper will be doing a story on this tonight at 10:00PM