Chilly Posted July 24, 2005 Posted July 24, 2005 From http://wpmi.com/news/state/story.aspx?cont...9A-BE18618D13B2 Lawmakers debate castration as punishment for sex offenersLast Update: 7/23/2005 2:47:57 PM MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - Some members of the Alabama House say that violent sex offenders who prey on children should be forced to undergo surgical castration to ensure that they do not hurt another child. In an effort to strengthen a bill toughening the state's laws against sex offenders, the House added an amendment Thursday by Rep. Steve Hurst, D-Munford, that would require those convicted of violent sex crimes against children under 12 to undergo the operation to remove their sex drive. "Someone 12 or under can't defend themselves. I don't believe they should ever be back in society. But if they are going to be back in society, it should be in a reformed way where they can't become a repeat offender," Hurst said. The amendment sparked a heated debate in the Legislature, with some lawmakers saying that no punishment is too tough if it protects children, while others said talk of extreme punishments like castration was political rhetoric aimed at helping legislators get re-elected next year. At one point the discussion became so graphic that Speaker Seth Hammett, D-Andalusia, stopped the debate and reminded lawmakers that there were "citizens of all ages" observing in the House gallery. The bill, as originally introduced in the Legislature, provides tougher sentences for sex offenders, removes the possibility of probation or parole from sex offenders and requires some to wear electronic monitoring devices after they are released from prison. The original bill is being supported by Gov. Bob Riley and Attorney General Troy King. The Senate voted Thursday to approve the original bill and send it to the House to consider. The House, meanwhile, passed the amended version with castration and sent it to the Senate, where it has not been considered by a committee. When the House Judiciary Committee took up the Senate-passed bill Friday, King told the committee that he feared the legislation would be unconstitutional if it included the castration provision, citing a 1940s Supreme Court ruling that said sterilization was an unconstitutional punishment. "I would hate to see us invite a constitutional challenge that I feel we can't win," King said. The committee approved a Senate-passed version that does not include the castration amendment, but an attempt to add the language is expected when the bill comes up for final passage in the House Tuesday. The sponsor of the House bill, Rep. Neal Morrison, D-Cullman, said most lawmakers agree that castration is not too harsh of a sentence for people who prey on young children. "I don't think you'll find anyone who is not in favor of doing that to those who harm children under 12. However, we believe the courts have ruled that you can't do that," Morrison said. During his administration, former Gov. Don Siegelman proposed legislation to require chemical castration of sex offenders against children. He said Friday that the electronic monitoring devices would not prevent offenders from attacking children and said the House should put the castration language back in the bill. "An ankle bracelet is not going to stop a predator from doing anything," Siegelman said. "They need to protect children from predators who need to be castrated or killed." During Thursday's debate, before passing the mandatory castration amendment, the House first added an amendment by Rep. Jeremy Oden, R-Eva, that allowed convicted sex offenders to volunteer to undergo surgical castration before being released from prison. "It will prevent these people from committing these types of crimes ever again," Oden said. University of Alabama Criminal Justice Professor Robert Sigler said castration has not proven to be an effective way to stop sex offenders from repeating their crimes. "Research indicates that sexual abuse is not necessarily sexual. These people are mentally ill and sexual castration often does not solve the problem," Sigler said. He said a program where convicted sex offenders are required to take polygraph tests once a month is being used in some parts of Alabama and has proved more effective than castration. "The fact that they know they are going to be polygraphed helps them control the urges that they have," Sigler said. He said he also feels that adding the castration language would make the bill unconstitutional. "I would suggest that any law requiring castration would be overturned," Sigler said. Several legislators said they understand the sentiment to get as tough as possible with sex offenders, but don't want to do anything that would cause the bill to be overturned in court. Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he believes the castration amendment was added in the House because lawmakers are very concerned about the issue. "It's an alarming issue. But we want to make sure we don't pass something that doesn't meet constitutional review," Smitherman said.
Thurman's Helmet Posted July 24, 2005 Posted July 24, 2005 Want a scary thought? (From a cbs news article) Ernie Allen, the president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, tells co-anchor Hannah Storm on The Early Show that this is a nationwide problem. "There are 400,000 registered sex offenders in the United States," he says, "and an estimated 80 to 100,000 of them are missing. They're supposed to be registered, but we don't know where they are and we don't know where they're living. "
Lemur King Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Let's get this passed in all 50 states! 389116[/snapback] This law misses the point. You want to create someone even more f'ed up than a child molester? Torture them more. While no punishment is too cruel for people who do this, if you're ever going to let them out again, twisting their brains up even more by cutting off their privates won't stop them from hurting kids. It will just create worse monsters. Idiot lawmakers.
OnTheRocks Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Some members of the Alabama House say that violent sex offenders who prey on children should be forced to undergo surgical castration to ensure that they do not hurt another child. isn't "violent" and "sex offender who preys on children" redundant? i suppose the problem i have is that these crimes are not generally widely viewed as violent...and should be. the fact that it isn't called "rape"....rather than sugar coating it with a term like "sex offender"is offensive to me. if i ruled the world anyone convicted of raping a child would never see the free world.
Crap Throwing Monkey Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Want a scary thought? (From a cbs news article) Ernie Allen, the president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, tells co-anchor Hannah Storm on The Early Show that this is a nationwide problem. "There are 400,000 registered sex offenders in the United States," he says, "and an estimated 80 to 100,000 of them are missing. They're supposed to be registered, but we don't know where they are and we don't know where they're living. " 389117[/snapback] 400k???? I wonder how many of them are actual sex offenders.
Tux of Borg Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Right, castration will really stop these !@#$ers from going after kids. This is just another loop hole that will keep sex offenders on the streets. Quit trying to rehabilitate these !@#$s and lock them up.
Wacka Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Did I say to use anesthetic? Did I say to release them? Did I say to use sterile scalpels?
Gavin in Va Beach Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Right, castration will really stop these !@#$ers from going after kids. This is just another loop hole that will keep sex offenders on the streets. Quit trying to rehabilitate these !@#$s and lock them up. 389186[/snapback] Better still, just take away the oxygen they are stealing...
KD in CA Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 This law misses the point. You want to create someone even more f'ed up than a child molester? Torture them more. While no punishment is too cruel for people who do this, if you're ever going to let them out again, twisting their brains up even more by cutting off their privates won't stop them from hurting kids. It will just create worse monsters. Idiot lawmakers. 389129[/snapback] I agree. There's only one way to make sure a child molester never harms another person again: Bullet to the back to the head.
OGTEleven Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 This law misses the point. You want to create someone even more f'ed up than a child molester? Torture them more. While no punishment is too cruel for people who do this, if you're ever going to let them out again, twisting their brains up even more by cutting off their privates won't stop them from hurting kids. It will just create worse monsters. Idiot lawmakers. 389129[/snapback] Let's take them all out for ice cream. We'll create a wonderful person beneficial to society. And they won't have to register because we'll know they're at the ice cream stand.
Lemur King Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Let's take them all out for ice cream. We'll create a wonderful person beneficial to society. And they won't have to register because we'll know they're at the ice cream stand. 389440[/snapback] Did I say "take them out for ice cream"? I'll save you the trouble of reviewing my post. Answer: No. What I said was this is stupid, since it will eff up already effed up pedohiles even worse. Do you think that "removing the sex drive" of pedophiles minimizes the chance that they will once again eff with a child. OR do you think that cutting off someone's dick just might eff their mind up so bad that they will be more likely to eff someone else (probably another child) up in the future. This a political grandstanding at its finest: "Let's bash pedohiles: who's with me?"
OGTEleven Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Did I say "take them out for ice cream"? I'll save you the trouble of reviewing my post. Answer: No. What I said was this is stupid, since it will eff up already effed up pedohiles even worse. Do you think that "removing the sex drive" of pedophiles minimizes the chance that they will once again eff with a child. OR do you think that cutting off someone's dick just might eff their mind up so bad that they will be more likely to eff someone else (probably another child) up in the future. This a political grandstanding at its finest: "Let's bash pedohiles: who's with me?" 389445[/snapback] If not ice cream perhaps miniature golf? What is the solution besides calling other people stupid?
Lemur King Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 If not ice cream perhaps miniature golf? What is the solution besides calling other people stupid? 389461[/snapback] If Alabama has a serious problem with repeat pedophiles, then maybe their judges should issue harsher sentences. Perhaps their judges are pussies who don't sentence pedophiles for long enough sentences? None of this has anything to do with what this really is about: political gamesmanship, and not even sensible gamemanship.
Nervous Guy Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Did I say "take them out for ice cream"? I'll save you the trouble of reviewing my post. Answer: No. What I said was this is stupid, since it will eff up already effed up pedohiles even worse. Do you think that "removing the sex drive" of pedophiles minimizes the chance that they will once again eff with a child. OR do you think that cutting off someone's dick just might eff their mind up so bad that they will be more likely to eff someone else (probably another child) up in the future. This a political grandstanding at its finest: "Let's bash pedohiles: who's with me?" 389445[/snapback] so you actually understand that castration is not "cutting off someone's dick"...right? Read on McDuff.... Read about Depo-Provera
Lemur King Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 so you actually understand that castration is not "cutting off someone's dick"...right? Read on McDuff.... Read about Depo-Provera 389509[/snapback] I said that for effect, and you are quite right. It was inaccurate. I should have said "cutting off someone's nuts." In any event, testoserone (and sex drive... and ability of have sex) can be replaced even if you have no testicles. Which makes the law even DUMBER. EDIT: Interesting article- shows another side of this. It treats the chemical castration not as punishment, but as treatment.
Alaska Darin Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Right, castration will really stop these !@#$ers from going after kids. This is just another loop hole that will keep sex offenders on the streets. Quit trying to rehabilitate these !@#$s and lock them up. 389186[/snapback] Can't. We're spending too much money keeping pot smokers in the clink.
Gavin in Va Beach Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Can't. We're spending too much money keeping pot smokers in the clink. 389577[/snapback] And for good reason. Every time a team wins a championship, all those pot smokers go outside and riot, set cars on fire, and just get really violent...
stuckincincy Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 Frontal lobotomies generally work, but you have to pay for their upkeep afterwards.
blzrul Posted July 25, 2005 Posted July 25, 2005 If Alabama has a serious problem with repeat pedophiles, then maybe their judges should issue harsher sentences. Perhaps their judges are pussies who don't sentence pedophiles for long enough sentences? None of this has anything to do with what this really is about: political gamesmanship, and not even sensible gamemanship. 389469[/snapback] Life without parole is probably the only way to keep the nutcases away from our kids. Even if chemical and surgical castration are used, they are no guarantee that the urge that drives the violence goes away. Also, consider the case when an innocent person is convicted. Don't say it doesn't happen, because it does. What was that place in CA years ago where the whole thing resounded of the Salem Witch trials? And, hard though it is to believe, there are female offenders too. Castration is not an option for them.
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