Louisiana judges can now sentence certain sex offenders to surgical castration, after Gov. Jeff Landry on Tuesday signed a bill into law that creates that penalty.
Offenders who receive such a sentence may refuse the procedure, in which case they would face an additional three to five years in prison.
Senate Bill 371 by Senate President Pro Tempore Regina Barrow, a Baton Rouge Democrat, received bipartisan support in the Legislature.
As Landry signed SB 371 in a ceremony at the Louisiana State Capitol, he sat beside Barrow and state Rep. Delisha Boyd, D-New Orleans.
“This is a method for us to protect our children,” said Boyd, who proposed a bill this year that would have established vasectomies as a form of punishment for sex offenders. House Bill 166 passed the House but then stalled in a Senate committee, failing to make it to Landry’s desk.
I am all for finding better ways to tackle sexual assault of any kind. But this is simply too far. As others I. This thread have pointed out: it’s cruel and unusual punishment, and doesn’t address the root of what drives sexual predators.
I’d like to add a new element to the conversation: wrongful convictions. Everyone already knows that going to jail as a child molester is probably going to end up very badly for them. So I could see people choosing castration as the lesser of two evils.
(Emphasis mine)
https://www.nealdavislaw.com/criminal-defense-guides/exonerations-by-state-2019/