Alabama Governor signs bill for Child S.ex Offenders undergo Chemical Castration

A bill that would require the chemical castration of certain sex offenders has been signed into law by Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey.

According to the bill passed by the state legislature last week, male offenders who molest any child under the 13 are to:

“undergo chemical castration treatment in addition to any other penalty or condition prescribed by law.”

They would also be required by the law to foot the bill for the treatment but would

“prohibit a person from being denied parole because of indigency.”

The bill was backed by State Rep. Steve Hurst (R), who has been sponsoring it for over a decade. He reportedly said,

“Not only did I want it to pass, I want to follow it on through to the future where we can try to improve it. One of the ultimate goals that I want to do is for us to track it and to make sure what medication works for what individuals.”

Other states which has passed similar laws include Florida and California. However, the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama Executive Director Randall Marshall said the option likely violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

“It’s not clear that this actually has any effect and whether it’s even medically proven,” Marshall said. “When the state starts experimenting on people, I think it runs afoul of the Constitution.”