South Carolina: Death for repeat sex offenders.

[Crumb]

South Carolina Senate has passed a law that allows prosecuters to seek the death penalty for those convicted twice of raping a child younger that 11 years. The bill has not yet been approved by the governor.

From AP

Opponents accused their fellow House members of casting politically favorable votes during an election year, and questioned whether capital punishment is constitutional for people who haven't killed anyone.

[MonCapitan2002]

It is about time such laws get passed. I hope the law gets passed and survives any constitutional challenges made against it. It is about time rapists and pedophiles get the punishment they so thoroughly deserve. My only problem with the law is that the death penalty does not get to be applied at the first offense.

[Plant Woman]

Two things first. I oppose the death penalty and I am a survivor of abuse. As awful as my ordeal was I would not have wanted my abuser put to death.

There will be a lot of people on death row if this law passes and I doubt it will be much of a deterrent.

[livius drusus]

I agree, Deb. I don't think the pathology of pedophilia is really amenable to deterrance. I doubt the legislators supporting this bill really care about that, though.

[Beth]

Why can't they impose life sentences rather than impose death on repeat sex offenders? Although I don't know how I would react if I found out my children had been abused as I was, I cannot, for the life of me, say that I wanted anyone who hurt me to be killed. I don't see how this will stop pedophilia. Maybe they should make it easier for pedos who want help to get treatment?


hmmm...just thinking, though, child rape is very brutal.

[Dingfod]

"It's not revenge he's after. It's a reckoning."--Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday in Tombstone

[BDS]

As I said in the other thread, the most obvious argument AGAINST the death penalty is to protect the victim.

If we had a death penalty for armed robbery, isn't it likely that some armed robbers would shoot their victims to avoid identification? Might not some rapists do the same?

Supporting the death penalty in such cases endangers victims.

[Beth]

BDS, I don't think that would be a consequence more so than it is now. But I think it might be more difficult to get child rape convictions.

[BDS]

I agree that in most cases of child rape, the increase in danger for the child would probably be small. (Obviously, I'm just guessing, but I'd bet most pedophiles don't think they will get caught, and it is often a repeated offense, rather than a one-time incident, so the rapist has a sexual motive not to kill.) However, in some cases of violent rape (one time incidents, rather than repeated ones), the increased risk might be considerable, as it would be if we instituted the death penalty for other crimes.

If (to use a different example) my child were kidnapped, I would hardly be comforted by knowing that the kidnapper would get exactly the same punishment whether he killed my kid or not. I would prefer it if the kidnapper knew he faced a worse penalty for murder.

[Beth]

If it were my child that were kidnapped and killed, then the killer had better hope that the law finds him before we do. I have no qualms about killing or having someone killed in cold blood in regard to this.

[But]

I count five threads about sex offenders on the first page. What is this place transforming into?

[viscousmemories]

Sex Offenders -R- Us?

[Legs]

Originally Posted by Crumb

South Carolina Senate has passed a law that allows prosecuters to seek the death penalty for those convicted twice of raping a child younger that 11 years.

I posted a couple of months ago about the possibility of this law being passed, but I used a woohoo instead of the popcorn. I'm pleased that it passed.

[Legs]

Originally Posted by But

I count five threads about sex offenders on the first page.

For a time, I posted any horrific stories I came across on one thread, but that didn't go over very well.

I guess the 3 choices are not to post stories at all, to post them in one place or to post at will. I don't think any of these choices should be ridiculed.

There are tools here to ignore threads, and also people have the option just not to open and read if they are not interested. The title usually indicates what will be found inside.

[Crumb]

I count five threads about sex offenders on the first page. What is this place transforming into?

I was just jumping on the band wagon with this one. Maybe we need a forum just for sex offenders. What would we call it? The Paedophilium?

[BDS]

Originally Posted by Beth

If it were my child that were kidnapped and killed, then the killer had better hope that the law finds him before we do. I have no qualms about killing or having someone killed in cold blood in regard to this.

But that doesn't answer the question of whether a child kidnapped by a sexual predator would be safer when the penalty for murder is more severe than that for rape. I assume he would be.

In addition to the deterent value of a more severe penalty for murder, there is a psychological factor involved. If the law suggests to the predator that rape is equally evil as muder, the rapist may think, “I might as well kill the kid.”

By the way, Beth, I know that you’re not advocating the death penalty for sex crimes (except murder), and I thought your post on the other thread suggesting that executing the fathers, uncles, or “friends” of victims would ADD to the victims’ trauma (and prevent them from coming forward) was eminently sensible.

One more thing: my initial question on the other thread has been answered: People are interested in sex crimes because far more people have been victims of them than I previously suspected (despite the statistics).

[Beth]

Originally Posted by BDS

But that doesn't answer the question of whether a child kidnapped by a sexual predator would be safer when the penalty for murder is more severe than that for rape. I assume he would be.

I'm not really sure about this. my gut says that it might not be much of a deterrent either way, especially if it was a stranger abduction.

In addition to the deterent value of a more severe penalty for murder, there is a psychological factor involved. If the law suggests to the predator that rape is equally evil as muder, the rapist may think, “I might as well kill the kid.”

Not really sure.
My gut tells me that not all molesters are violent. I think a person can rape a child within the molestation, but do it thinking they have consent. I'm not sure that all of these people, even though they are fucked up, could really physically murder the child that they supposedly love. I don't think pedo child molester automatically means a child killer. But the person who would kidnap a kid who he has stalked, well, I would think that this type of person is more capable of murder .

[BDS]

I agree. It would only be the violent kindapper type who might be deterred by extra penalties for murder (in my theory, which is a mere guess in any event).

[Beth]

Well, I don't think that the violent kidnapper types are the only ones who kill. People kill for a miriad of reasons. I just personally feel that a person who will abduct a child or sneak into a bedroom at night, rape a child violently, are more likely to kill. But then, I am sure there are people who are usually more passive who will kill to silence someone out of panic.

I really cannot discuss this anymore. It gets difficult.

[erimir]

What qualifies as rape under this law?

Anyhow, I generally oppose the death penalty. I wouldn't really be that bothered by it in a lot of cases, but I don't think there's any way to allow it legally that I would be ok with. This law is no different.