Proposed Georgia domestic violence registry draws debate

Georgia Republicans announced a slew of bills last week to support Georgia families, including legislation to create a registry of domestic violence offenders.

House Bill 1142 would create a time-limited, statewide domestic violence offender registry within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

“Here in Georgia, we believe in second chances, but we will not ignore patterns of recurring violence, and we will prioritize the safety of women, children, and families every step of the way,” said Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns.

In 2024, Georgia had 42,000 reported incidents of family violence and 159 confirmed deaths related to domestic violence.

Burns also said the House’s amended 2026 budget includes a $4.5 million investment in domestic violence shelters and sexual assault centers in Georgia.

“Placement on this registry sends a clear message that Georgia will not tolerate repeat domestic violence and that survivor safety comes first,” said state Rep. Leesa Hagan, R-Lyons.

However, activists and survivors of domestic violence are not convinced this measure will help and believe it could cause more harm than good.

Karimah Dillard, the director of policy for the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the fact that lawmakers are showing interest in the issue of domestic violence in Georgia gives her hope, but it’s a very complicated issue.

“Some survivors say, ‘Yes, we really want it,’ and some survivors say, ‘No, we really don’t because there are lots of unintended consequences that could come from that,’” she said. “We are trying to honor both the survivors and advocates who want to do this and the survivors and advocates who don’t want to do this.”

Advocates who do not support the bill expressed concerns about providing a false sense of security for people when they view the list, Dillard said.

“Georgia has about a 31 to 33% arrest rate when it comes to family and dating violence, so most abusers are not going to be on this list,” she said.

People might also lose their jobs if their name is on the list, and survivors of domestic violence might depend on that income for their children. Survivors might also be less likely to report domestic violence out of fear of retaliation from the perpetrator, Dillard said.

What does the bill actually do?

Dillard said the bill models legislation from Tennessee that went into effect in January.

For people who have two convictions of domestic violence offenses, including family and dating violence convictions, their name would go on the registry for two years. Those with three convictions would have their name on the registry for five years, and those with four or more convictions would have their name on the registry for 10 years.

The registry will include the name, date of birth, conviction date, county or counties  of convictions and a current photograph of each person on the registry.

The goal of the bill is to reduce recidivism rates in Georgia, Dillard said, but the sex offender registry has not reduced recidivism.

“The DV registry is not the same as the sex offender registry, so I don’t want to compare apples to apples,” she said. “We’re just kind of taking in all of this information and trying our best to understand what the best path forward is.”