Alabama Republican Governor Kay Ivey has signed into law a new measure that requires chemical castration as a condition of parole for child sex abusers.
Ivey signed the bill into law on August 10. It was introduced by Republican state representative Steve Hurst of Calhoun County.
Hurst had previously expressed desire to see those convicted of such crimes be surgically castrated.
“My preference would be if someone does a small infant child like that, they need to die. God’s going to deal with them one day,” Hurst said.
Under the law, a prospective parolee would begin the drug treatment at least month prior to release and would continue the treatment for as long as a judge deemed fit.
With passage, Alabama becomes the eighth state to require or allow chemical castration as a condition of release for sex offenders. Others include Wisconsin, Florida, Texas, Montana, Louisiana, and California.
It’s estimated that one in ten children are sexually assaulted in the U.S. before the age of 18.
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