(Baton Rouge) Louisiana became the first U.S. state where judges can order offenders guilty of certain sex crimes against children to undergo surgical castration, under a bill approved Tuesday by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry .
While surgical castration is used in other countries known for harsher criminal penalties, including the Czech Republic and Nigeria, it will be new in the United States. The governor’s office confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday that Landry signed the bill earlier in the week.
Supporters of Louisiana’s law, which takes effect Aug. 1, hope the possible new penalty will deter people from committing sex crimes against children. Opponents argue that it is “cruel and unusual” punishment, in violation of the U.S. Constitution. They say it will certainly face legal challenges.
The law gives Louisiana judges the option to sentence a person to surgical castration after that person is convicted of certain aggravated sex crimes — including rape, incest and sexual assault — against a child under 13 years. The sanction is not automatic and would be determined on a case-by-case basis and at the discretion of the judge.
Louisiana has 2,224 people imprisoned for such crimes. The law can only apply to those who were convicted of a crime on or after August 1 of this year.
A handful of states, including Louisiana, California, Florida and Texas, have laws allowing chemical castration of people guilty of certain sex crimes. In some of these states, offenders can opt for surgery if they wish. But no other state allows judges to impose surgical castration outright, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In Louisiana, which for 16 years has allowed judges to order chemical castration of people convicted of certain sex crimes against children, this punishment is rarely imposed. Chemical castration uses medications that block testosterone production to decrease libido. Surgical castration is a much more invasive procedure that involves the removal of the testicles or ovaries.
An offender who “fails to appear or refuses to undergo” surgical castration after a judge orders the procedure could be charged with “failure to comply” and face an additional three to five years in prison, according to language in the proposed bill. law.
The bill received overwhelming approval in both Republican-dominated chambers. State Sen. Regina Barrow, a Democrat, authored the bill, but votes against it came primarily from Democrats.
“We’re talking about babies being raped by someone,” Barrow said at a committee meeting in April. “It’s inexcusable. »
Supporters of the measure argue that the punishment is reserved for horrific crimes committed against children. Critics argue that the state should focus on rehabilitating those guilty of such crimes to reduce recidivism rates.
Others wonder whether more states might consider adopting a law similar to Louisiana’s and question the constitutionality of such measures. The United States decided that punitive sanctions — “an eye for an eye” — were cruel and abnormal, said Katrina Sifferd, a philosophy professor at Elmhurst University.
“We don’t rape rapists,” she pointed out. We do not cut off the hands of thieves. »
Louisiana is known for some of its tough-on-crime policies, including the use of nitrogen gas and electrocution as possible means of carrying out death row executions. Mr. Landry, who took office as governor in January, campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform.