Rep. Steve Hurst, R-Munford, has pre-filed a bill ahead of the Alabama legislature’s 2014 sessions that calls for child sex offenders to be surgically castrated.
Under Rep. Hurst’s proposal, convicted sex offenders would be castrated before being released from prison if their victims were under the age of 12. The offender would also be responsible for paying the cost of the procedure.
This is not the first time Hurst has introduced the bill. He sponsored an identical piece of legislation during the 2013 session, but it didn’t make it out of committee.
Chemical castration has been used more prevalently as a deterrent and punishment for sexual crimes in recent years. According to CNN, “Chemical castration involves administering medication — via injection or tablets — to take away sexual interest and make it impossible for a person to perform sexual acts. The effects are reversible, after the person stops taking the drug.”
But Hurst’s law specifically states that surgical castration would be used.
Don Grubin, professor of forensic psychiatry at Newcastle University, said he “liken[s] it to cutting the hand off the thief. It’s very symbolic.” But some groups, such as Amnesty International, say the punishment violates human rights.
Castration has been used as punishment for sex offenders in various countries including Argentina, Australia, Estonia, Israel, Moldova, New Zealand, Polan and Russia. And at least nine U.S. states have some version of chemical castration in their laws, including California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin.
Will Alabama join the list? We’ll find out early next year when the legislature reconvenes in Montgomery for its 2014 session.
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