Gov. Bobby Jindal Signs Bill to Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders
Not Even Slightly Veiled Translation: Hey SCOTUS, Suck It
By Ben Domenech Posted in Bobby Jindal | Breaking News | Crime | Death Penalty | Louisiana | scotus — Comments (51) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
On the heels of today's SCOTUS decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana barring the death penalty for sex offenders, Gov. Bobby Jindal released a statement calling the ruling an "affront to the people of Louisiana" - and what's more, vowing to do whatever possible to amend the state’s laws in order to maintain the death penalty for child rape.
But that's not all he did.
Today, Gov. Jindal signed the "Sex Offender Chemical Castration Bill," authorizing the castration of convicted sex offenders. They get a choice: physical or chemical. Oh, and they don't just get castrated and leave - they still have to serve out their sentence.
More below the fold:
From the release:
SB 144 by Senators Nick Gautreaux, Amedee, Dorsey, Duplessis and Mount provides that on a first conviction of aggravated rape, forcible rape, second degree sexual battery, aggravated incest, molestation of a juvenile when the victim is under the age of 13, or an aggravated crime against nature, the court may sentence the offender to undergo chemical castration. On a second conviction of the above listed crimes, the court is required to sentence the offender to undergo chemical castration.
Gov. Jindal made it absolutely clear that signing this bill today was about more than just sending a no-tolerance message across his state: "I want to send the message loud and clear – to the Supreme Court of the United States and beyond – make no mistake about it, if anyone wants to molest children and commit sexual assaults on kids they should not do so here in Louisiana. Here, we will do everything in our power to protect our children and we will not rest until justice is won and we have fully punished those who harm them.”
More:
In the recently concluded regular session of the legislature, Governor Jindal also supported the passage of SB 143 to prohibit a sex offender from wearing a mask, hood or disguise during holiday events and from distributing candy or other gifts on Halloween to persons under eighteen years of age; SB 517 which provides for the lifetime registration of sex offenders; SB 510 to double the minimum sentence for computer-aided solicitation of a minor; HB 770 to prohibit the use text messaging by sex offenders; and SB 514 to increase the minimum sentence for the molestation of a juvenile by five-fold.
It seems clear Gov. Jindal wants sex offenders to have a very clear understanding of the new Louisiana: whatever you're going to try to do, don't do it here.
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Gov. Bobby Jindal Signs Bill to Chemically Castrate Sex Offenders 51 Comments (0 topical, 51 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
You have to give some credit as well to the legislators who were willing to be led, too.
It's a fitting and fast response to the SC, which seems determined, sooner or later, to make a ruling that must be outright defied.
Related comment:
As of today, Fox News reports that Suzette Kelo's house has been torn down, but the new owner can find nobody interested in financing his development of it.
Pluto, the Ninth Planet - Forever!
Its nice to see the old traditions still linger.
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Our Governor's got b@!!$... so now sex offenders don't.
Why is it that the more I read about Jindal, the more I like this guy?
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how would this apply to the fair sex ?
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
to educate them on what so many Muslims still do to their little girls...
seriously, though: They probably don't get a choice and it's chemical for them. Though how that stops them from from perpetrating the crime is unclear to me. How castration prevent s the crime at all is unclear, regardless of the sex...
"Always be honest with yourself. Even if you are honest with no one else."
--me
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
I had the same question, and in light of the fact that rape is generally about power and control and not about sexual desire, is there any evidence that castration (chemical or otherwise) would change the conduct of the individual in question? If not, why do it?
They may still desire power...but that method becomes mute...
Formally known as Deagle... "Golf is a way of life..."
Castration doesn't mean removing the penis, and castrated men can still get erections, so how does it remove the method?
either! Works for me... For the abnormal, I could suggest other ways...
Formally known as Deagle... "Golf is a way of life..."
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
Illinois and Louisiana are part of the same country.
Our previous Governor, who is now serving time, granted a moratorium on the death penalty. Some said he was trying to distract from the indictments being handed down. Current Governor is cowering in fear of 1) recall, 2) impeachment, and 3) indictment.
Sadly, this IS the Illinois that I thought I knew.
The free exchange of ideas inevitably yields both heat and light.
merits, but also opposes the SCOTUS decision as unsconstitutional.
more later
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." - The Chief Justice
Yeah, I'm not a fan of forced castration (physical or chemical), but I don't know that it will last. "Cruel and Unusual Punishment" will likely be cited to strike this down.
As for death penalty for child molestation, I happen to be a fan of that if it is a pattern. . . . but that is something for the states, not the SC to decide.
I think we definately agree there.
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Dependence is Slavery.
has survived constitutional challenge before.
"Always be honest with yourself. Even if you are honest with no one else."
--me
look for more parents jailed for murder... These kind of laws always seem to have a way of evening out in the long run...
Formally known as Deagle... "Golf is a way of life..."
that said, I have no problem with child rapist serving "life without possibility of parole" as long as they are housed in the general prison population and as long as all the other prisoners are aware of why they are there.
you reference, though subtly, allowing the general population of a prison to attack, rape and (likely) kill a child molester.
Why is it you afford something to the prisoners, but not the Justice Department?
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Dependence is Slavery.
you will not I said SCOTUS had no business taking the case. ie, it was the state's right to pass it's own law. In this case, they deemed the death penalty to be appropriate.
OTOH, the prison population will carry out said sentence in a cruel and inhumane manner. I'm good with that.
cruel and unusual punishment (if you follow any kind of judicial logic - actually, cutting off the head, firing squad, or other quick means would qualify as non cruel punishment). Unfortunately, they seem to take anything that causes grief (mental cruelty) to the recipient to be cruel and unusual. That means that the death penalty is essentially gone via the constitution (not that it states it that way). The actual punishment should be left to the States and the Federal courts should butt out!
Formally known as Deagle... "Golf is a way of life..."
About the death penalty being already gone--I heard someone today agreeing with the SC decision and he used the rationale that there have been only x executions out of many-multiple-x on death row in the last few years, so it was already essentially gone. No mention was made about the moratorium on executions while the SC decided that lethal injection was Constitutional.
Pluto, the Ninth Planet - Forever!
that said, I have no problem with child rapist serving "life without possibility of parole" as long as they are housed in the general prison population and as long as all the other prisoners are aware of why they are there.
These perverts are the worst kind of "people" in the world. There is a special place in hell for these b*sta*ds, and I can guarantee you that castration is the nicest thing I would do to them. If it was up to me, these pieces of **** would be drawn and quartered in the middle of the Main Street, and then given the guillotine.
"My worst fears had come to pass not in Georgia, but in Washington, D.C., where I was being pursued not by bigots in white robes but by left-wing zealots draped in flowing sanctimony."-Clarence Thomas
Kill the terrorists.End the NewTone.Punch the hippies.
more later on the merits
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." - The Chief Justice
An interesting situation: You are OK with the outcome, but don't think they should have ruled at all. Totally principled all the way around.
As much as I'd like to disagree with you, I can't. I agree it should be left to LA to decide, but I think there's a lot of merit to an argument that the threat of the death penalty (and even physical castration) encourages the rapist to go further and kill his victim (they do that often enough as it is). And that should be a decision of the individual state.
Pluto, the Ninth Planet - Forever!
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." - The Chief Justice
Glad to see pedophiles no longer will, at least in LA. Bobby, you are my vote in 2012.
"My worst fears had come to pass not in Georgia, but in Washington, D.C., where I was being pursued not by bigots in white robes but by left-wing zealots draped in flowing sanctimony."-Clarence Thomas
Kill the terrorists.End the NewTone.Punch the hippies
Got no problem with this sort of punishment. I was amused at the hit I took for not being crazy-gaga for the death penalty for child-rapists. I'm all for punishing them harshly. I just honestly don't think that the death penalty is proportional to the crime.
But yeah, I'm fine with castration. You misuse your gonads THAT badly and I can certainly approve of taking them away.
on both counts. While I agree the states should have the last say on these matters as neither are "cruel and unusual" as that term of art was understood when it was ratified in the Bill of Rights by We the People.
My opposition to the death penalty for non-homicide offenses, beyond the proportionality Old Testament progression, is that should evidence become available to show the convict to have been wrongly convicted, he would not be around to be paroled, AND MY EXPERIENCE AS DEFENSE LAWYER IN THESE CASES SHOWS FALSE CONVICTIONS TO BE PROPORTIONALLY, EXPONENTIALLY HIGHER IN RAPE/CHILD ABUSE CASES.
Futher, as regards castration, I fear that social workers and courts would be more likely to give lighter sentences and parole earlier those that have been castrated, thinking that they are more unlikley to assault children and/or women due to the operation. I think that is bunk. They desire control and they can do that sans penis.
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." - The Chief Justice
Frankly, I can understand why that false conviction rate might be higher. Emotions run as hot as they ever do in these cases. Where a child has been so horribly harmed all right-minded people want justice, if not vengeance. That can lead to a somewhat diminished level of the skepticism that jurors (hopefully) bring with them to any criminal case.
You can't resurrect a wrongly-executed man or woman. You just can't. That criminal sanction is entirely final. You can release a wrongly-jailed man. Chemical castration, as I understand it, is not permanent (requires that the "patient" continue to take his meds). Physical castration bothers me some, but not nearly so much as execution for any crime other than a wrongful killing (I won't get into mens rea right now).
Pardon the pun, but Louisiana (and Jindal in particular) has cahones.
O.K., actually the pun was fully intended and the entire point of this post, so if you don't pardon it, that's fine too.
offenders, but 2nd offenders? Off with their....
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Just like PayPal, except it's free and a $25 bonus to sign up!
I like Bobby Jindal. Any chance of him adopting me?
"Always be honest with yourself. Even if you are honest with no one else."
--me
To win votes. I have a hard time believing people are thinking about this beyond the element of vengeance.
I completely understand the idea and agree with the sentiment. If you rape children, you should never be allowed to reproduce. Ever.
What I don't agree with are two things:
1. Wrongful convictions
What if it's you? Or your husband? Or your son? If wrongful conviction rates (which hover around 60%, according to an obviously questionable source) are really that high, we're talking about the possibility that most people getting castrated are perfectly innocent. How many of our brothers and sons and fathers have to get castrated? How many of us, guys, before we think this is maybe a bad idea? Wrongful conviction on most things, you're in prison for a while. At least, if you get out, you're still, um, a man.
2. Effectiveness
Another google search for statistics on crime statistics in Louisiana pointed out the following:
Only 12% of sex offenders, after their first conviction, become repeat offenders. Eighty-eight percent of all the people being convicted never do it again. This is with treatment. Without treatment it's around 43 percent repeat offenders.
If less than half the people released never become repeat offenders, there's some obvious questions as to the wrongful conviction rates. And if treatment takes care of most of the rest, do we want to take these chances?
Are we willing to sacrifice that many innocent people for the sense of justice being served?
I really find it hard to believe any part of criminal justice system could operate with a 60% false conviction rate, esp if it was in any way verifiable.
False accusation yes indeed. Esp for this particular class of crimes. It jibes well with the false rape accusation rates amongst adults.
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
I guess conviction rates are hard to find. I read somewhere that 25 percent of all sexual assault (don't remember if it was split out by child/adult) cases are overturned by DNA evidence, but no stats on how many of those people were initially convicted.
Still, it seems like a lot of innocent dudes are gonna get castrated in LA.
Did Jindal make sure to add the statement that the chemical Castration can be performed by standing around Jindal for 20 minutes while his awsomeness castrates you?
Bobby Jindal 2012: Protecting your children, your right to life and your right to awsome.
Voting for the Sexy(Pres) - Sexy(VP) Dream Ticket
Jindal/Palin 2012
Mike DeVine’s Charlotte Observer columns
www.theminorityreportblog.com
"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race." - The Chief Justice
When I first saw this title, I was reminded of Thomas Jefferson's legislative work. As I recall, he advocated this perfectly equitable punishment for sexual crimes, and included a prescription for the rare female offendrix as well.
After all, in addition to the "eye for an eye" level of punishment, is there not also a principle of matching the type of punishment, such as enforcing property penalties for property crimes?
Link to TJ (relevant section halfway down):
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/amendVIIIs10.html
That is SO [expletive deleted] rad! Go Bobby! V.P.!!!
Keep the "F-word" over on Kos, kid.
In Vino Veritas
Impeach the 5 usurpers
for this interloper would have been deeply offensive to anyone raising a child with Down's syndrome and unfair to those children.
What I find offensive is not the words so much as that so many people think these language "intensifiers," as the late George Carlin called them, actually make them appear to offer some real contribution when they really only serve to obviate how stupid they are.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
Sorry...used to Ace's rules, not many.
I'm not familiar with Ace's rules, but I gather it means I can sign up on a blog site without reading the site rules, and in my first post use the most vulgar word in the English language in the subject line.
Quite a set of rules you got there, pal.
Impeach the 5 usurpers
This Saturday I got a little cookout going on at my house. Why don't you just come over, make yourself at home, and take a crap in my swimming pool?
Impeach the 5 usurpers
..."Gov. Bobby Jindal Signs Bill to Chemically Castrate Male Sex Offenders"? Or are you suggesting that only men can be sex offenders?
makes a run for national office in the future.
This law is awesome and I hope he is willing to see it all the way to the SCOTUS.
Just a typical, small town, British-American girl...