A NEW bill that would legally allow sex offenders to be surgically castrated at the end of their prison sentence is making its way through the Louisiana government.
In early May, the Chamber of Deputies approved the project by 74 votes to 24 and it is now on its way to the governor’s desk.
Senate Bill 371, by Sen. Regina Barrow, would allow judges to order the surgical castration of men or women who have committed a sexual crime against a child under the age of 13 in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Highlighter.
The procedure would take place at least a week after they are released from prison.
However, if the offender fails to attend or refuses the procedure, he or she may be sentenced to an additional three to five years.
“I know surgical castration seems excessive, I see the same for the five-year-old, the 10-year-old, the 12-year-old,” Boyd told the CBS affiliate. World War.
Chemical castration, a process reversible with medication, is already approved and in action as a criminal punishment in Louisiana.
Representative Delisha Boyd sponsored Barrow’s bill in the House.
She cited the recent alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl by a 51-year-old Baton Rouge man who has since been arrested.
The suspect was previously arrested on charges of aggravated rape of a 5-year-old child in 2007.
He was charged with two counts of first-degree rape and one count of indecent behavior with a minor, according to The lawyer.
“We have to stand up and fight for the kids,” Boyd said, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.
Most of the Chamber agreed with the bill, but made some changes, including the age of offenders.
The bill would now exclude offenders under the age of 17 from the castration procedure.
Another change was about the distance an offender could be from the school.
If the bill passes, sex offenders would not be able to live near a school if the victim is 14 or younger.
This is an increase from the current age, which is 13 years.
What does Senate Bill 371 propose?
Senate Bill 371 was proposed by Senator Regina Barrow and would allow judges to order the castration of men or women who commit a sexual crime against a child under the age of 13 in Louisiana.
The procedure would take place at least a week after they are released from prison.
However, if the offender fails to attend or refuses the procedure, he or she may be sentenced to an additional three to five years.
The project was approved by the Chamber of Representatives by 74 votes to 24, after some amendments.
It now excludes offenders under 17 from the castration procedure, and if the bill passes, sex offenders will not be able to live near a school if the victim is 14 or younger.
The Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety said the cost of castration would be about $550 to $680 per offender, although there was no estimate of the total cost.
Boyd said she is “no fool [enough] believes that if this gets recorded… all the rapists will say I’m not going to do that”, but she believes the statute would be “a deterrent”, according to Fox News.
However, as of May 28, the changes proposed by the Chamber were read and rejected by a vote of 36 votes in favor and 0 against, according to Louisiana State Legislature.
‘WHO DOES THIS AFFECT MOST?’
Although the project was approved by the Chamber, some deputies remain against it.
Rep. Edmond Jordan objected to its “historical context,” arguing that the bill could disproportionately affect black men.
Jordan, who is black, compared the castration proposal to the lynchings and unjustified castrations of black men during the Jim Crow era between the 1880s and 1960s.
“Who does this affect most?” Jordan asked lawmakers.
“I know it’s race-neutral. I know we say it can apply to anyone, but we all know who it affects.”
Jordan also said he spoke to organizations who claimed they could sue if Barrow’s bill passed.
He added it would cost the state at least $100,000 to defend the law.
Bruce Reilly of Voice of the Experienced, an organization founded and run by formerly incarcerated people, was also unsupportive.
“There shouldn’t be any mutilation of people’s bodies and that’s what it does: it mutilates people’s bodies,” he told WWL.
“Now let’s add the cutting off of someone’s testicles… Where we draw the line at our punishments.”
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