BATON ROUGE, La. \u2014 A person found guilty of a sex crime against a child in Louisiana could soon be ordered to undergo surgical castration, in addition to prison time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Louisiana lawmakers gave final approval to a bill Monday that would allow judges the option to sentence someone to surgical castration after the person has been convicted of certain aggravated sex crimes \u2014 including rape, incest and molestation \u2014 against a child younger than 13. Several states, including Louisiana, currently can order such criminals to receive chemical castration, which uses medications that block testosterone production in order to decrease sex drive. However, surgical castration is a more invasive procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a consequence,\u201d Republican state Sen. Valarie Hodges said during a committee hearing on the bill in April. \u201cIt\u2019s a step over and beyond just going to jail and getting out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bill received overwhelming approval in both of the GOP-dominated chambers. Votes against the bill mainly came from Democrats, however a Democratic lawmaker authored the measure. The legislation now heads to the desk of conservative Gov. Jeff Landry, who will decide whether to sign it into law or veto it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, there are 2,224 people imprisoned in Louisiana for sex crimes against children younger than 13. If the bill becomes law, it can only be applied to those who have convicted a crime that occurred on or after Aug. 1 of this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sponsor of the bill, Democratic state Sen. Regina Barrow, has said it would be an extra step in punishment for horrific crimes. She hopes the legislation will serve as a deterrent to such offenses against children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are talking about babies who are being violated by somebody,\u201d Barrow said during an April committee meeting. \u201cThat is inexcusable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While castration is often associated with men, Barrow said the law could be applied to women, too. She also stressed that imposing the punishment would be by individual cases and at the discretion of judges. The punishment is not automatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If an offender \u201cfails to appear or refuses to undergo\u201d surgical castration after a judge orders the procedure, they could be hit with \u201cfailure to comply\u201d charge and face an additional three to five years in prison, based on the bill\u2019s language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legislation also stipulates that a medical expert must \u201cdetermine whether that offender is an appropriate candidate\u201d for the procedure before it\u2019s carried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A handful of states \u2014 including California, Florida and Texas \u2014 have laws in place allowing for chemical castration, but in some of those states offenders can opt for the surgical procedure if they prefer. The National Conference of State Legislatures said it is unaware of any states that currently have laws in place, like the bill proposed in Louisiana, that would specifically allow judges to impose surgical castration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Louisiana\u2019s current chemical castration law has been in place since 2008, however very few offenders have had the punishment passed handed down to them \u2014 with officials saying from 2010 to 2019,<\/a> they could only think of one or two cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bill, and chemical castration bills, have received pushback, with opponents saying it is \u201ccruel and unusual punishment\u201d and questioned the effectiveness of the procedure. Additionally some Louisiana lawmakers have questioned if the punishment was too harsh for someone who may have a single offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor me, when I think about a child, one time is too many,\u201d Barrow responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n