Virginia State Senator Proposes Castrating Sex Offenders

RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia legislator is proposing castrating sex offenders as an alternative to the increasing costs to detain and treat them after they've served their prison sentences.

Republican Sen. Emmett Hanger's bill would require the state to study the use of physical castration as an alternative to civil commitment for sexually violent predators. A similar proposal was vetoed four years ago.

The civil commitment program's budget grew from $2.7 million in 2004 to $24 million this year. Gov. Bob McDonnell has proposed spending nearly $70 million over the next two years to meet the increasing demands.

Eight other states allow for some form of castration for sex offenders, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Only Louisiana and Texas allow for physical castration.

Comments

[ljmck]

03:44 AM on 01/27/2011

Questions for those who want to mutilate perpetrators:

Are you sure that human sexuality is located in the testicles or the ovaries? Because scientists are not. Sexual violence is tied up with power and rage. What do we amputate to get rid of those?

It's very likely that the mutilation you support is against the eighth amendment of the Constitution. Or doesn't that provision about "cruel and unusual punishment" mean anything to you? Okay with you if we bend that phrase to suit our most base instincts?

What's next? Amputation for shoplifters and speeders? Blinding for peeping toms? Hysterectomies for women who abuse their children? Lobotomies for the mentally ill who commit crimes? Crucifixion for political and religious criminals? Blood thirst has a way of creating appetite. Remember France's guillotine.

What if you make a mistake and an amputee is later proved innocent?

Are you willing to have the son or daughter or father or mother you love and believe to be innocent undergo these punishments?

Are you willing for your children to be trained to apply these punishments? Are you willing to do these amputations yourself?

Where does barbarism stop? With your family? Your neighbor? People of your own religion? People of your own skin color? Violence begets violence.

Finally, you do realize, don't you, that if these punishments are actually effective, they must be applied before the fact, not after?

[NickySmiles]

11:33 AM on 01/27/2011

Almost all sex offenders will offend again. Pedophiles rack up over 100 victims before they are caught...if they are ever caught. Shoplifters are not at all in the same category, both in terms of repeat offenses and the nature of the crime. The "What, should we chop off the arms of shoplifters now?" argument is absurd. Apples and Oranges.

For this particular heinous crime, especially if it involves children, we have to do what we have to do to protect society.

Sometimes common sense has to prevail. You can't rehabilitate a pedophile.

[PlutocratsSuck]

07:28 PM on 01/26/2011

Why not just burn them in the public square? That will solve everything.

Or lets just bring back the guillotine maybe? How about stoning them to death?

Bring the kids, it will be a great family activity. Where do they dig these people up?

[ljmck]

06:46 PM on 01/26/2011

Some studies indicate that as many as 20% of all women have been the victims of incest. Are you all ready to castrate your brothers, fathers, and grandfathers?

Would beheading satisfy your blood lust?

[zest]

06:18 PM on 01/26/2011

Ah, after torture can mutilation be far behind?

[robwriter]

05:51 PM on 01/26/2011

Will that include adulterers? (Hope, hope.)

[Elizabeth Berry]

04:55 PM on 01/26/2011

well we can add physical castration to a growing list of Texas achievements: We are the state with the highest mercury pollution in the nation; we are the state with the lowest high school graduation rate of 78%. I wonder if there is a connection?

Since 1976 the state of Texas has executed 464 people and coincidentally none other than the state of Virginia comes in second with a total of 109. Okla third with 96. Florida fourth with 69. Missouri fifth with 67. Alabama sixth with 50. Georgia seventh with 48. NC eighth with 43. Followed closely behind with SC at 42 and Ohio at 41. Don't you wonder what percentage of these executions were black people?

According to WIKI black people who make up 12% of our national popultation have made up 34% of those actually executed since 1976

[goodasitgets]

05:34 PM on 01/26/2011

Elizabeth, I agree with you. Texas sucks.

[RobbieB]

05:59 PM on 01/26/2011

Don't start egging the Red States on to try and catch up with Texas...

[contradiction]

04:44 PM on 01/26/2011

I'm not certain castration will prevent the disturbing and violent behavior. Often you hear of predators utilizing foreign objects to inflict harm on their victims. I think they should receive life in prison. Toss the sick puppies and toss away the key.

[audadvnc]

04:39 PM on 01/26/2011

I dunno, senator. Have you passed this by serial adulterer Newt Gingrich yet? I don't think he'd be very happy with your solution...

[MajorKong]

04:34 PM on 01/26/2011

Castrate? What is he, some kind of weak-kneed, bleeding-heart liberal? No flaying alive? No hot pokers? No Braveheart style drawing and quartering?

[Mother77]

04:47 PM on 01/26/2011

Clearly, male response. Ask the women.

[chaszer]

04:23 PM on 01/26/2011

My memory is that this was tried a long time ago (like the fifties) and found to be ineffective. I remember reading about this about thirty-five years ago.

[leannk]

03:32 PM on 01/26/2011

How about castrate men in general, since Republicans want to tell women what to do with their body, why not men? Of course not...... you think women are the same a sexual criminals and need to be told what to do with our body since we cannot control ourselves (sarcasm).

The more Republicans politicians open their mouth, the more I am stunned by what ideas they are thinking of. I wish they would stop thinking about sex and guns, but focus on economy and jobs.

[S1m0n]

03:24 PM on 01/26/2011

What a great idea! Why didn't anyone think of this before? Oh, wait..

[CarolinaYankee]

03:17 PM on 01/26/2011

Will Vitter and Ensign qualify for the same punishment?

[Hoosierbrad]

03:16 PM on 01/26/2011

Anybody ever hear of the phrase "cruel and unusual punishment?" Is this the 21st century or the ninth? Some of these guys are more barbaric than than the Visigoths!

[InStl]

03:50 PM on 01/26/2011

Sorry, I have more empathy toward the victims. I could care less what happens to a violent sexual predator.

[Norm]

05:53 PM on 01/26/2011

I can't get too worked up about this, either.

[Hoosierbrad]

06:48 PM on 01/28/2011

You must think Courts never make a mistake and imprison innocent people. Tell that to the eleven people released from death row in Illinois who were proven innocent, not just not guilty. Try giving the innocent offender his balls back.

[FTracy3]

03:02 PM on 01/26/2011

I, for one, do not want to hear a high squeaky voice coming from the other side of the confessional.

[everyoneshistorian]

05:53 PM on 01/26/2011

roflmao!