Seven-deadly-sins law

Background

In the mid‑1990s, numerous U.S. states passed seven‑deadly‑sins laws to address rising rates of violent crime among youth. The laws were driven by the 'superpredator' theory, which predicted a wave of remorseless teenage criminals; that prediction did not come true. The laws varied by state but always gave superior courts jurisdiction over juveniles aged 13–17 accused of murder, rape, armed robbery with a firearm, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, or voluntary manslaughter.

Georgia enacted State Bill 440 in April 1994. The bill provided that juveniles committing certain violent felonies would be tried as adults in superior court. The offenses covered were murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, rape, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated sodomy, and aggravated child molestation. Sentences included a minimum of 10 years in prison; the latter four crimes carried a minimum of 25 years to life. First‑degree murder was punishable by death, life without parole, or life with no parole for at least 30 years; second‑degree murder carried 10 to 30 years. A second conviction for any of these crimes automatically resulted in life imprisonment without parole. Voters approved the law on November 8, 1994; Governor Zell Miller signed it on December 15, 1994; it took effect January 1, 1995. The law is codified as OCGA Section 17‑10‑7.

In 2009, a Georgia bill softened the law, reversing the default to try violent minor offenders as adults.