| Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-11) joined her colleagues this morning at the Congressional Black Caucus press conference urging Georgia lawmakers to immediately release Mr. Genarlow Wilson.
Genarlow Wilson is the Georgia teen who is serving a 10-year sentence on the charge of aggravated child molestation of a 15 year old. At a New Year’s Eve party, Wilson, then 17, participated in a consensual act of oral sex with the 15 year old. At the time of the 2005 conviction, Georgia law stated that any sexual act with a minor was considered aggravated child molestation. In 2006, the Georgia legislature amended the law under the “Romeo and Juliet” clause, which states that consensual sexual intercourse between teenagers a misdemeanor not a felony, although it said nothing about consensual oral sex. On Monday, June 11, 2007, a judge lessened Mr. Wilson’s charge to a misdemeanor and sentenced him to 12 months maximum in jail, with credit for time served. The state’s attorney general is now appealing the decision.
Rep. Clarke, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus of the 110th Congress stated, “I am truly disheartened by the actions that have been taken place and the lack of justice in this process. The heavy hand of Georgia justice has slammed down on Mr. Wilson, who has served his time and deserves the opportunity to move forward with his life. I stand with my colleagues in calling for the immediate release of this young man.”
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