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Calling On The Legislature: Dixon V. State And Georgia's Statutory Scheme To Protect Minors From Sexual Exploitation, Jed D. Manton

Mercer Law Review

In Dixon v. State, the Georgia Supreme Court analyzed Georgia's statutory scheme to protect children from sexual exploitation. A jury convicted Marcus Dixon of statutory rape and aggravated child molestation, for which he received the mandatory minimum sentence of fifteen years to serve ten. The Georgia Supreme Court reversed Dixon's conviction for aggravated child molestation. As a result of the reversal, Dixon was released from prison because he had already served the requirements for his statutory rape conviction. The majority and concurring opinion urged the Legislature to clarify Georgia's statutes to expressly distinguish statutory rape from child molestation. The …