Section 49-5-186. Confidentiality of information in registry; penalties for unauthorized use of information

   (a) Information in the abuse registry shall be confidential and access thereto is prohibited except as provided in this article. Such information shall not be deemed to be a record of child abuse for purposes of Article 2 of this chapter.

(b) (1) Information obtained from the abuse registry may not be made a part of any record which is open to the public except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection and except that a district attorney may use in any court proceeding that information in the course of any criminal prosecution for any offense which constitutes or results from child abuse if such information is otherwise admissible.

   (2) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, information in the abuse registry applicable to a child who at the time of his or her death was in the custody of a state department or agency or foster parent which information relates to the child while in the custody of the state department or agency or foster parent whose custody the child was in at the time of the child's death shall not be confidential and shall be subject to Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50, relating to open records.

(c) Any person who knowingly provides from the abuse registry any information to a person not authorized to be provided that information under this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(d) Any person who knowingly and under false pretense obtains or attempts to obtain information which was obtained from the abuse registry except as authorized in this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Code 1981, § 49-5-186, enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 1772, § 1; Ga. L. 1995, p. 937, § 2; Ga. L. 1998, p. 609, § 6.