A law has been established in Louisiana that allows physical castration as a punishment for child sex offenders.
On June 3, the Associated Press reported that the Louisiana legislature passed a bill that allows judges to order surgical castration in addition to prison sentences for those who are convicted of rape and sexual assault against children under the age of 13.
AP noted that while several states, including California, Florida, and Texas, have laws allowing for chemical castration by injecting drugs to reduce the libido of sex offenders, this is the first time a law permitting physical castration has been established in the U.S.
The National Conference of State Legislatures confirmed that no other state is currently enforcing such a law.
The Louisiana state legislature is controlled by the Republicans in both the Senate and the House, and Governor Jeff Landry is also a Republican.
If Governor Landry signs the bill that passed the legislature, the law will go into effect on August 1.
Currently, there are 2,224 people imprisoned in Louisiana for sex crimes against children under the age of 13, but the new law will not be applied retroactively.
Although many Democratic representatives voted against the bill, the lawmaker who proposed the bill is also a member of the Democratic Party.
Regina Barrow, a Democratic senator who proposed the bill, said in a committee considering the bill in April, “We are talking about children who have been sexually violated. This is unforgivable.”
Senator Barrow explained that while physical castration is often associated with males, it could also be applied to females.
She added that this punishment would not be automatically imposed on all offenders, but would be decided on a case-by-case basis at the judge’s discretion.
If an offender refuses to undergo castration surgery after the judge’s order, they could face an additional 3 to 5 years in prison for non-compliance.
Some members of the Louisiana legislature criticized the law as “excessively cruel.”
Concerns were also raised that the punishment might be too harsh for those who have committed a single offense.
However, Senator Barrow refuted, “If you think about the child (the victim), even once is too many.”