South Carolina approves seeking death for pedophiles

kwright · #1 (**permalink**) 03-29-2006, 05:01 AM

South Carolina approves seeking death for pedophiles
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The state Senate on Tuesday endorsed making repeat child rapists eligible for the death penalty, setting aside arguments the move might be unconstitutional.

"What we've got to do today is vote our conviction," said Republican Sen. Larry Martin.

The proposal allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty for sex offenders who are convicted twice of raping a child younger than 11.

Currently in South Carolina, murder is the only crime eligible for the death penalty.

The proposal was approved as part of a larger bill that sets minimum sentences and lifetime electronic monitoring for some sex offenders. The bill requires a third reading before moving to the House.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 1977 Georgia case involving an adult victim that sentencing someone to death for rape was unconstitutional.

A Louisiana law lets prosecutors seek the death penalty for rapists of children younger than 12, and the Louisiana Supreme Court found it constitutional because the U.S. Supreme Court ruling did not address the rape of a child.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the statute.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-03-28-sex-offenders_x.htm?csp=15

geela · #2 (**permalink**) 03-29-2006, 06:52 AM

The main thing that bothers me about such a law is that the pedophile may be more likely to kill his/her victim.

Heidikuz · #3 (**permalink**) 03-29-2006, 06:56 AM

Sounds good to me

Emaline · #4 (**permalink**) 03-29-2006, 07:02 AM

I have to admit I'm torn on this one. There is a very large part of me that does not support this and I think we can do better as a society. BUT another very large part of me is screaming hypocrite because if I ever found out that someone had molested either of my children, they had better lock ME up because I will do my best to hunt down the b@stard and kill 'em.

Geela that is another very good point that I had no considered.

midwifemommyofmany · #5 (**permalink**) 03-29-2006, 07:37 AM

Well one of my main problems with the death penalty is that in order to have it, innocent people will inevitebly fall victim at some point. However, like Emaline said if someone did that to my child they would have to hold me back from murdering their @ss myself.

I struggle with this issue for that reason...so I feel like a total hypocrite if I say its a bad idea. Does anyone have any insight as to wheather or not the death penalty actually helps prevent crimes such as these? Or is this just strictly a punishment issue???

wandb · #6 (**permalink**) 03-29-2006, 08:12 AM

The main thing that bothers me about such a law is that the pedophile may be more likely to kill his/her victim.

The only way I can really see this happening is if the punishment for murder was lighter than the punishment for rape. It doesn't sound like it is.

Are you thinking that because the punishment is the same that they would go ahead and kill their victims? I don't know if most people would go the extra step and kill someone just because the punishment was the same.

I'm OK with the death penalty for people that rape children. Good riddance.

Emaline · #7 (**permalink**) 03-29-2006, 08:21 AM

I don't think it has anything to do with the extra punishment Betsy, I think it has everything to do with shutting the victim up. If you kill the victim, and you hide it well enough, then no one can rat you out.

Emaline · #8 (**permalink**) 03-29-2006, 08:28 AM

Okay re-reading my own post that doesn't make a lot of sense even to me

I guess it does have to do with punishment to a certain degree. If you know you would only get 10 years for a crime it is not so bad but if you know that you could be put to death, your risk has just increased, so you might be more willing to kill to cover up your crime, whereas before you might try to rely on pressure to keep the victim quiet.

Honestly I'm not sure a pedophile even thinks in these terms. I know they are very very sick people. Many of the stories I've read and the interviews, they say they know they are a menace to society and they know that if they are free, they will repeat their crime. I'm not sure that someone who is that sick can control themselves. Then again if you are that mentally ill do you deserve to be put to death over something you yourself can't control? Or would life imprisonment be better at a mental institutions. Plus if we have a chance to study them and work with them, maybe we can find a cure? If we just kill them all, we learn nothing about preventing this in the future.