Georgia currently operates a structured, risk-based classification system through the Sexual Offender Risk Review Board. That system evaluates individuals using empirically developed assessment tools and reviews dynamic and historical factors to determine actual risk to the community.

SB 468 shifts away from that model.

Under the bill, individuals convicted of certain offenses would be automatically placed into Level II or classified as “Sexually Dangerous Predator,” regardless of individualized assessment. Offense type alone would determine classification in specified cases.

This legislation replaces risk science with statutory assumption. Two individuals convicted of the same offense can present very different levels of future risk. Georgia’s current system recognizes that reality. SB 468 does not.

Replacing Risk Assessment With Automatic Labels

Modern risk assessment models rely on validated tools that evaluate multiple factors — including age, prior history, treatment participation, and behavioral indicators. Decades of criminological research demonstrate that individualized assessment is more accurate than offense-based assumptions in predicting recidivism.

SB 468 would mandate automatic classifications for certain convictions, bypassing that individualized review process.

If the concern is backlog at the Risk Review Board, the solution is increased resources and staffing — not eliminating individualized evaluation.

Increased Reporting Without Increased Safety

The bill also:

• Imposes heightened reporting requirements on homeless registrants, including a 12-hour window for reporting changes in sleeping location.
• Requires sexual offenders to report international travel 21 days in advance.
• Requires stable housing accountability programs to report accepted applicants who are registered sexual offenders to local sheriffs.

Additional housing reporting requirements may discourage participation in stable housing programs — a factor widely recognized as reducing recidivism.

Housing stability is one of the strongest predictors of successful reentry and reduced reoffending. Policies that destabilize housing undermine long-term public safety.

Protecting Children Requires Accuracy

Protecting children and communities must remain a top priority. The critical question is whether Georgia is using the most accurate and effective tools available to assess and manage risk.

Automatic labeling may appear decisive, but it is not necessarily precise. Georgia’s current risk-based system was designed to evaluate actual risk. SB 468 substitutes that evidence-based framework with offense-triggered classification mandates.

Accuracy strengthens public safety. Overgeneralization weakens it.

Constitutional and Structural Concerns

Expanding automatic lifetime designations such as “Sexually Dangerous Predator” without individualized assessment increases the risk of constitutional challenges, including due process concerns.

As registry schemes become more automatic and more restrictive, they risk being viewed as punitive rather than regulatory in nature, increasing legal vulnerability for the state.

A Better Path Forward

Restore Georgia urges lawmakers to:

• Fund and expand the Risk Review Board to reduce backlog;
• Preserve individualized risk assessment;
• Maintain evidence-based classification practices;
• Strengthen supervision resources without sacrificing accuracy.

Public safety is strengthened by precision. Georgia should reinforce its existing evidence-based system rather than replace it with automatic statutory mandates.

For more information, visit www.restore-georgia.org.

The post Restore Georgia Opposes SB 468: Automatic Risk Classifications Undermine Evidence-Based Public Safety appeared first on Restore Georgia.

However, we strongly oppose HB 1142 and HB 1207, which would create a public registry of “recidivist domestic violence offenders” in Georgia.

Public registries are not evidence-based public safety tools. They are mechanisms of public exposure and extended punishment.

Domestic violence is overwhelmingly relationship-based. Incidents occur within families and intimate partnerships — not through random encounters with strangers. A public website listing names and photographs does not prevent violence inside a household. It does not fund treatment. It does not provide victim housing. It does not expand intervention programs. It does not increase mental health services. It does not address substance abuse.

What it does is publicly label individuals for years after they have completed court-ordered sentences.

Georgia already maintains criminal records accessible through lawful channels. Law enforcement already tracks repeat offenders. Courts already impose enhanced penalties for recidivists. Creating another public list does not add meaningful protection — it adds public shaming.

HB 1142 goes further by treating diversion and reduced charges as “convictions” for registry purposes, undermining the rehabilitative purpose of those programs.

Both bills require mandatory public listing without individualized risk assessment. They create a system where conviction count — not current threat level — determines public exposure.

Public registries also create collateral harm:

• Loss of employment and housing
• Harassment and doxxing
• Harm to spouses and children
• Destabilization that can increase risk factors for future conflict

Restore Georgia opposes the expansion of registry culture in this state. If we create public lists for repeat domestic violence, what prevents future legislatures from creating registries for DUI, drug offenses, financial crimes, or other repeat offenses?

Public safety should be built on prevention, rehabilitation, supervision, and survivor services — not perpetual public branding.

If legislators wish to reduce domestic violence recidivism, we urge them to invest in:

• Evidence-based intervention programs
• Risk-based supervision
• Survivor support services
• Mental health and substance abuse treatment
• Data-driven prevention strategies

Georgia deserves policies grounded in evidence, not emotion.

Detailed Comparison: HB 1142 vs HB 1207

Both bills create a public registry, but they differ in scope and structure.

Scope of Who Must Register

HB 1142

• Applies to individuals with:

  • One current domestic violence conviction and

  • At least one prior conviction

• Includes offenses discharged under diversion or reduced to lesser charges as “convictions” for registry purposes

This expands what qualifies as a conviction.

HB 1207

• Requires registration if:

  • Convicted of a felony domestic violence offense; OR

  • Any DV offense with at least one prior DV conviction

• Does not expand diversion language as broadly as HB 1142

HB 1207 captures some first-time felony offenders even without prior convictions.

Registry Information Published

Both bills:

• Publish name

• Photograph

• County of conviction

• Conviction details

• Duration based on prior convictions (2, 5, or 10 years)

• Exclude address and SSN

HB 1207 adds:

• Sentence imposed

• Aliases

 Pretrial Diversion Impact

HB 1142 uniquely:

• Prohibits entry into diversion unless the defendant agrees that future convictions may trigger registry placement

This conditions access to diversion on registry consent.

HB 1207 does not contain this provision.

Removal Process

HB 1207:

• Provides a written removal request process

• Allows judicial review

HB 1142:

• Automatic removal after time period

• No detailed removal appeal structure

Bottom Line:

• HB 1142 is broader in redefining conviction and impacting diversion.

• HB 1207 is broader in including felony first-time offenders.

• Both expand public registry infrastructure in Georgia.

The post Restore Georgia Opposes Creation of a Domestic Violence Public Registry appeared first on Restore Georgia.