- Joined
- Apr 18, 2013
- Messages
- 93,583
- Reaction score
- 81,661
- Location
- Barsoom
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Independent
Alabama approves chemical castration for some sex offenders
The use of chemical castration is internationally controversial, and critics say forced chemical castration violates human rights.
Alabama State Capitol.
A handful of states permit either voluntary surgical castration, or voluntary chemical castration (Depo Provera) as a condition of early prison release/parole respectively.
The efficacy of chemical castration is questionable, and recidivism is not unknown.
Critics charge that chemical castration violates sex offenders' constitutional rights. The ACLU contends that chemical castration violates an offender's implied right to privacy under the Fourteenth Amendment, rights of due process and equal protection, and the Eighth Amendment's ban of cruel and unusual punishment.
Related: Alabama governor signs chemical castration bill into law
The use of chemical castration is internationally controversial, and critics say forced chemical castration violates human rights.
Alabama State Capitol.
6/11/19
Montgomery, Ala. -- Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has signed into law legislation that would require certain sex offenders to be chemically castrated before their parole. Gov. Kay Ivey's press office said Monday that she had signed the bill, which is to take effect later this year. The measure applies to sex offenders convicted of certain crimes involving children younger than 13. The bill applies to those who commit their crimes after September 1, 2019, CBS affiliate WIAT-TV reports. Chemical castration involves injection of medication that blocks testosterone production. Under the measure, certain offenders must receive the medication before they are paroled from prison. A judge would decide when the medication could be stopped. Republican Rep. Steve Hurst had proposed the measure for more than a decade. Meanwhile, Randall Marshall, the head of the ACLU of Alabama, said chemical castration could violate the U.S. Constitution."It could be cruel and unusual punishment. It also implicates right to privacy. Forced medications are all concerns," Marshall told WSFA.
A handful of states permit either voluntary surgical castration, or voluntary chemical castration (Depo Provera) as a condition of early prison release/parole respectively.
The efficacy of chemical castration is questionable, and recidivism is not unknown.
Critics charge that chemical castration violates sex offenders' constitutional rights. The ACLU contends that chemical castration violates an offender's implied right to privacy under the Fourteenth Amendment, rights of due process and equal protection, and the Eighth Amendment's ban of cruel and unusual punishment.
Related: Alabama governor signs chemical castration bill into law