Posted on 03/25/2006 4:18:48 PM PST by Former Military Chick
March 25, 2006 — - A drive in South Carolina seeks to impose the death penalty for second convictions of raping children under age of 11.
"Raping a child is as horrific as taking a life," said South Carolina State Sen. Kevin Bryant, R, "and I would like South Carolina to make a statement to the nation that we take these crimes extremely seriously."
The new initiative coincides with the recent arrest in South Carolina of Kenneth Hinson, a convicted rapist who allegedly raped two teenaged girls in an underground "dungeon."
Hinson was released early his 18-year sentence for raping an 11-year-old girl despite objections by prosecutors who said he would likely strike again if freed.
'An Eye for an Eye'
Although Florida teacher Debra LaFave recently avoided jail time after being charged with sexual assault involving a 14-year-old boy, more states are imposing harsher sentences for child molesters.
Louisiana already has such a law on the books.
In Oklahoma, a similar proposal sailed through the state senate last week. Other states have imposed longer sentences and tighter parole restrictions for sex offenders and children.
Even in Florida, where the LaFave case too place, lawmakers enacted tougher laws after the 2005 rape and murder of nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford. John Couey, a neighbor who had previously been convicted of molesting a young girl, was found guilty of that crime.
"If you want to rape kids, you want to kill them?" said Mark Lunsford, Jessica's father. "Death -- it's an eye for an eye for children."
Lunsford has been traveling the country, pushing for harsher penalties for child sex crimes.
"I'm not a lawmaker, I'm not a politician, I'm a citizen," Lunsford said. "It's okay, you know, to let them know … [that] if you want to hurt a child, you're going to get the death penalty."
Too Much?
Some say that the death penalty would encourage the offenders to kill child victims because they would face the death penalty anyway. Other critics say the punishment does not fit the crime.
"There's a real need to think about treatment and alternatives for sex offenders rather than increase the punishment and … the death penalty," said Jennifer Daskal of Human Rights Watch.
Supporters of the tougher penalties say anyone who would sexually attack a child twice should never get a third chance.
The last execution for a sex crime was for a 1964 Missouri rape. The U.S. Supreme Court declared Missouri's law unconstitutional in 1977 because it was disproportionate to the crime.
If South Carolina and Oklahoma pass these laws, the Supreme Court could be asked again to decide whether they are legal.
I am not sure adding the death penalty would make a difference. Not that I am NOT FOR IT. But we put these monster on death row, it takes decades to execute some of them. We need to clean up that mess before we add more.
But, if we added more I would not be opposed. We just have a slow system when it comes to imposing the death sentence.
Why wait till they become repeat offenders?
Put them in jail for life, and there won't be a second time.
I'll settle for mandatory life sentence w/o parole. I've got no problem with the death sentence for this crime.
Penalties are a measure of how seriously society protects and treasures the lives of its people.
Probation for such a crime says that society cares little about that offense, and that, therefore, it is acceptable (wink, wink ;>) to commit it.
So how long before so puritan absolutist manages to execute an 18-year-old boy who was twice caught having sex with his 17-year-old girlfriend? Unless they specify that statutory rape doesn't count, that is going to happen sooner or later. Already in such a case the boy would be labeled a sex offender for life after the first count.
Savage just said that people who molest children should be killed and their body chopped into little pieces.
The death penalty for child molestation is a poor idea. You need something in reserve to deter a molester from deciding, "Well, I'm a dead man now, let's kill the kid."
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Supreme Court said it was cruel and unusual to punish rapists and pedophiles with the death penalty. I think it was the 60's.
I support the death penalty for a first offense on a child under 16.
Only if your not the child being raped. I'd bet the victims feel the DP is appropriate.
I said I'd settle for life imprisonment, although I'm not opposed to the death penalty. It illustrates how highly we value the life of the child.
Your reply is logical, but they might just decide to kill to avoid a 20 year sentence....or a 10...5....2....
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Who should pay for the lifelong incarceration?
That sounds to me like a free ride for the rest of one's life. Healthcare, food, clothing, shelter, cable TV, books...alllll freeeeeeeeeeeee....... right? Or do I have that wrong?
If you seek to convince others that life in jail is proper, then by all means establish how it is that convicts will PAY THEIR OWN WAY like law abiding folks do.
It costs more per year to house criminals ( on avg) than more than about 25% of the working (law abiding) population makes at their jobs.
Time to square up your position, who pays for lifelong incarceration? If you offer tax dollars then you side with punishing society (in dollars taxed to be spent on prisoners) for the criminals actions. That is one collective punishment that doesn't seem to make sense to me. Can you help me see why I have an improper viewpoint?
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
To the genius who said that we will be giving the death penalty to 18 yo boys who have sex twice w/ their 17 yo girlfriends. You know very well that the statutory rape laws aren't even enforced in this country and especially not when the girl is almost 18 herself! Get real.
I don't understand people who want to make it easy for predators to abuse children and get away with it.
Good point. Better to have a mandatory 25-year sentence, every minute of which will be served. And no segregated sex offender units, all of these offenders to serve out their sentences among the general prison population.
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