Georgia State Rep. Mitchell Scoggins thinks increasing registration for low level Registrants is somehow "helpful"

Trying to keep people already determined to be a low risk on the registry for longer is not helpful in any way, Rep. Scroggins. 

https://daily-tribune.com/stories/two-bartow-legislators-co-sponsor-sex-offender-registration-bill,27010

Two Bartow legislators co-sponsor sex offender registration bill

JAMES SWIFT/THE DAILY TRIBUNE NEWS

Posted Saturday, February 13, 2021

BY JAMES SWIFT

Both District 14 State Rep. Mitchell Scoggins  (R, Cartersville) and District 15 State Rep. Matthew Gambill (R, Cartersville) have co-sponsored a piece of proposed legislation seeking to reform the State’s sex offender registration requirements.

“The benefit of this bill is that it will help sex offenders stay on the registry longer,” said Scoggins. “Now they’re able to get off after three years if they’re Level I.”

The primary sponsor of House Bill 347 is District 19 State Rep. Joseph Gullett (R, Dallas.)

“Someone that he knew or had dealings with had got off the registry, he thought too early,” Scoggins said. “This bill will help solve that problem.”

Under the proposed bill, those convicted of certain sex offenses would be able to petition for release from registration after “10 years have elapsed since the individual completed all prison, parole, supervised release and probation for the offense.”

The amendment, however, would only be applicable to those “classified by the Georgia Sexual Offender Registration Review Board as a Level I risk assessment classification.”

If a risk assessment classification has not been conducted, HB 347 indicates “the court shall order such classification to be completed prior to considering the petition for release.”

“It changes the ‘or’ to ‘and’ so that the two provisions outlined there both have to be met,” Gambill said. “This just increases the rigors in our sex offender laws, ensuring that nothing is slipping through the cracks, if you will.”

In Georgia, Level I offenders are designated as “low sex offense risks” and are deemed unlikely to commit any additional sex offenses by the State board.

“Level II, III offenders are mostly all repeat offenders and they stay on the registry longer, anyway,” Scoggins said. “This just puts everybody on notice that this person’s been convicted of a crime and if he or she is living next to you, you would want to know that, especially if you had young children.”

Gambill summarized why he co-sponsored the proposed legislation.

“These are very concerning situations and I think that we always want to make sure that when we’re looking into the laws, that they are appropriate and meet the needs of what’s needed to protect our citizens,” Gambill said. “I think this puts some additional teeth into that process.”