Tuesday, 05 November 2024

Proposed Legislation To Permit Surgical Castration Of Convicted Child Rapists May Soon Reach Governor’s Desk

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Proposed legislation in Louisiana that would allow judges to sentence convicted child rapists to surgical castration may soon advance to the governor's desk.

The Louisiana House of Representatives passed the bill by a 74-24 vote earlier in May.

“The law would allow judges to order the procedure for men or women who have committed an aggravated sexual offense against a child under 13, assuming that they are a viable candidate,” Fox News reports.

Democrat State Sen. Regina Barrow introduced Senate Bill 371.

Fox News reports:

The procedure would take place no less than one week after a convicted person finishes their prison sentence. If they don't show up or refuse, per the proposed bill, they could be sentenced to an additional three to five years behind bars.

“We have to stand and fight for the children,” Democratic Rep. Delisha Boyd said when carrying the bill to the House, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.

Boyd cited reports of a 51-year-old Baton Rouge man recently arrested for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl. The man was already on the sex offender registry after a previous offense in 2007, suggesting that the proposed bill could thwart repeat sexual predators.

The House approved the bill on several conditions, most notably that offenders younger than 17 would be excluded from the harsh new punishment, the outlet reported. Provided that the Senate approves the changes, the bill will be sent to the governor's desk.

“I know the surgical castration seems excessive, I view the same for the five-year-old, for the 10-year-old, for the 12-year-old,” Boyd said, according to The U.S. Sun.

Per The U.S. Sun:

Most of the House was on board with the bill but made a few changes including the age of offenders.

The bill would now exclude offenders younger than 17 from the castration procedure.

Another amendment was about the distance an offender could be from a school.

If the bill is passed, sex offenders would not be able to live near a school if their victim was 14 or under.

This is an increase from the current age which is 13.

Louisiana's state Department of Corrections and Public Safety said the cost of castration would be about $550 to $680 per offender, though there was not an estimate of the total cost.

Boyd said that she isn't “foolish [enough] to believe that if this gets on the books… all rapists are going to say I am not going to do it,” but she believes the statute would be “a deterrent,” according to Fox News.

However, as of May 28, the amendments proposed by the House read and rejected by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, according to Louisiana State Legislature.


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