Houston County district attorney says robo-call misleading | Macon Telegraph

Houston County District Attorney George Hartwig has issued a news release stating that a Marsy's Law robo-call is misleading.

Marsy's Law is a state House bill on victim's rights, and the robo-call from supporters of the bill states that Georgia is one of 18 states where victims do not have constitutional rights.

While that's technically correct, Georgia has one of the strongest statutory Crime Victims' Bills of Rights in the country, Hartwig said in the release.

The recorded message also states that "your district attorney has not yet taken a public position." But Hartwig, who noted he is a member of the Prosecuting Attorney's Council of Georgia and the District Attorneys' Association of Georgia, said both groups have been involved in working with lawmakers.

The language of the current bill, though well intended, may weaken the rights of Georgia crime victims, according to the release. An alternative would be to include more general victims' rights language in the Constitution, while keeping the specific details of how those rights are protected in state law.