# Louisiana passes law to castrate rapists **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 10, 2008, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914 "2008-07-10T00:40:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/1 "2008-07-10T00:40:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Governor Bobby Jindal today signed the Sex Offender Chemical Castration Bill, SB 144, authorizing the castration of convicted sex offenders. > [@](#): > > SB 144 by Senators Nick Gautreaux, Amedee, Dorsey, Duplessis and Mount provides that on a first conviction of aggravated rape, forcible rape, second degree sexual battery, aggravated incest, molestation of a juvenile when the victim is under the age of 13, or an aggravated crime against nature, the court may sentence the offender to undergo chemical castration. On a second conviction of the above listed crimes, the court is required to sentence the offender to undergo chemical castration. > [@](#): > > This bill also provides that a court may instead order a physical castration instead of the chemical castration. I think this is great news. Rapists need to be severely punished. Their lives should be made to be almost unbearable. It is just too bad Louisiana did not pass a law that requires physical castration on the first offense. It is nice that the judges can sentence the rapists to physical castration, but I wish this was mandatory. Is there anyone that thinks this law is not a great step in the right direction? [http://www.kalb.com/index.php/news/article/governor-bobby-jindal-signs-chemical-castration-bill/9539/](http://www.kalb.com/index.php/news/article/governor-bobby-jindal-signs-chemical-castration-bill/9539/) ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/2 "2008-07-10T00:42:03Z")
It depends when the state is bankrupted by its first huge lawsuit by a wrongfully convicted man. Because it WILL happen sooner or later. There are just too many cases tried every day for it to NEVER happen. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/3 "2008-07-10T00:42:54Z")
Yes, it’s a fantastic idea - after all, if anyone is wrongly convicted, we can just sew some new balls on them before we send them home. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/4 "2008-07-10T00:43:55Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] It depends when the state is bankrupted by its first huge lawsuit by a wrongfully convicted man. Because it WILL happen sooner or later. There are just too many cases tried every day for it to NEVER happen. [/QUOTE] States have sovereign immunity. Barring special legislation, Louisiana cannot be sued for a wrongful conviction. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/5 "2008-07-10T00:44:04Z")
OK, taking it seriously for a moment. What will it actually achieve? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/6 "2008-07-10T00:45:26Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] OK, taking it seriously for a moment. What will it actually achieve? [/QUOTE] The rapists will not like being castrated. It is retribution for their horrible crimes. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/7 "2008-07-10T00:46:04Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] The rapists will not like being castrated. It is retribution for their horrible crimes. [/QUOTE] Ah, revenge. Anything else? Anything… _useful_? ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/8 "2008-07-10T00:46:14Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] States have sovereign immunity. Barring special legislation, Louisiana cannot be sued for a wrongful conviction. [/QUOTE] So they’ll get away with castrating innocent men? Well, that’s OK then. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/9 "2008-07-10T00:47:48Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] The rapists will not like being castrated. It is retribution for their horrible crimes. [/QUOTE] Perhaps we should cut off the hands of thieves? Somebody, somewhere, had that idea. Maybe it could work. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/10 "2008-07-10T00:49:45Z")
Sew the balls off the rapists onto the faces of thieves. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/11 "2008-07-10T00:51:08Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Ah, revenge. Anything else? Anything… _useful_? [/QUOTE] Retribution is not the same thing as revenge. It will also make it less likely they will rape again. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/12 "2008-07-10T00:51:54Z")
I’m always concerned when governments cook up new punishments like this. Rational or not, I can’t avoid wondering if the interest of justice is being served rather than a politician’s desire to appear tough on crime and the voters’ interest in punishment. I don’t see this preventing crimes and I’m not sure about the justice angle either. And with all due respect to children who’ve been abused and the parents of children who’ve been abused, I think their plight is being used by legislators to score easy points with the public, regardless of the necessity, sense or constitutionality of the laws being signed. [If anyone else was curious, here is the definition of an aggravated crime against nature.](http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss_doc/lss_house/RS%5C14%5CDoc%2078696.html) ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/13 "2008-07-10T00:56:21Z")
[QUOTE=An Gadaí] Sew the balls off the rapists onto the faces of thieves. [/QUOTE] Yeah, but what do we do with the adulterers? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/14 "2008-07-10T00:56:34Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] It will also make it less likely they will rape again. [/QUOTE] That can be achieved more effectively by locking them away for ever. As I understand it, it’s quite possible to commit many forms of rape and sexual assault without the use of testicles. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/15 "2008-07-10T00:57:00Z")
Weird. We incarcerate for murder. Castrate for rape. Shouldn’t we be amputating for theft? Yah, we live in Leviticus. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![prleone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b2d939/32.png) [@prleone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prleone)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/16 "2008-07-10T00:58:50Z")
Good grief. Here’s the real problem. The sentences to rapists have never really been enforced. I have not heard of a convicted rapist ever spending their entire sentence in jail. The appeals process for rape seems very loose. When we say ten years, we need to stick with it. No paroles after three. Come on, people, I want the rapists punished too, but this is barbaric. The only difference in this is the chemicals, no Ali Baba yelling “Hassan chop!” as he swings the sword at Johnny. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/17 "2008-07-10T00:59:34Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] It is nice that the judges can sentence the rapists to physical castration… [/QUOTE] I mean, seriously, what the fuck has to be going on in your head to think such a thing is _nice_? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/18 "2008-07-10T01:08:36Z")
Great. Rip their balls out. That’s a solid, sophisticated plan you’ve got there. I don’t quite know where to start. It could be the irreversible nature of the punishment which has already been mentioned. Perhaps it’s worth pointing out that even physical castration doesn’t simply remove all sexual thought from a person. It’s quite possible that the huge frustration which would be a result of this could feed into unwanted behaviour, especially if there’s problems already which haven’t been dealt with. But still, anyway, rip their balls out. As others have said, the occassional victim of a miscarriage of justice won’t care, as long at it’s for the greater good. I could carry on with other relevant cases, but I can’t be bothered. And just to be safe, rip their balls out anyway. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/19 "2008-07-10T01:10:43Z")
It also fails to comprehend the dynamic of rape. Rape is seldom about sex so much as power and dominance. A rapist denied his preferred apparatus has not, by any stretch of the imagination, been rendered harmless. Likely worse, since his resentment is…enhanced. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914/20 "2008-07-10T01:12:02Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] Retribution is not the same thing as revenge. [/QUOTE] I’m aware that they’re different words, but what you’re advocating is in fact _revenge_, so the distinction is moot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louisiana-passes-law-to-castrate-rapists/455914.md?page=2)