Senator Emanuel Jones (D-Decauter)Photo Courtesy: GA Senate Press Office
Sparked by the controversial Genarlow Wilson trial, a Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill that would make it a crime to distribute offensive material introduced as evidence in a court proceeding.
When a Douglas County jury convicted then 17-year old Genarlow Wilson of child molestation in 2005, a video tape of that act was shown as evidence in court.
Afterwards, the prosecuting district attorney gave copies of the tape to lawmakers at the same time they were considering a bill that would have reduced Wilson's sentence.
The US Attorney for Georgia described the tape as child pornography, the possession and distribution of which is a federal offense.
Senator Emanuel Jones (R-Decauter), from Atlanta authored the measure, which he says would protect minors from having video evidence distributed outside of a trial or court proceeding.
"In today's video age, with YouTube and MySpace, and all these other sites around that cater to our kids, that their privacy, in the event that something happens, their identity is going to be protected from the media."
The measure now goes to the Senate Rules Committee for review, while similar legislation is being considered by the House of Representatives.
If passed, violation of the proposed law could result in a prison term of up to twenty years.
