South Carolina looking to execute repeat child sex offenders

[TheMightyFavog]

http://www.nbc10.com/news/8335069/detail.html

The South Carolina Senate has given preliminary approval to a bill that authorizes the death penalty for twice-convicted child rapists.

The proposal approved Tuesday still needs a final reading before going on to the House.

It would authorize prosecutors to seek capital punishment for any sex offender convicted twice of raping children younger than 11.

(snip)

State Sen. Jake Knotts, chief backer of the South Carolina bill, said criminals who rape children don't belong on earth.

[DS1]

1. why is 12 okay?

[MadMaddie]

3. That's a good question......

This type of law opens a pandoras box of other laws to follow....


These people don't deserve to be out among the population that's a fact..Put these offenders in a secluded...High Security prison....make them work hard labor for the rest of their lives. The Death Penalty process is costly and in many instances innocents have found themselves on death row....No Pychological defeneses...if they commit these crimes that's it.

[BR_Parkway]

4. Agreed, fix some of the sex offender laws for the 20 yo with 16 yo girl

friend, then beef up the other laws.

If you worry that an offender will do it again with another child to the point that you need the law/expense of having them register their addresses (which oftentimes doesn't work) simply change the law that if you do XX with YY and are convicted, then it's automatically a life with no chance for parole sentence. I can't think of many on either side of the aisle who wouldn't have a ton of ground support for that.

Hell, let some guy out who was carrying a bag of pot if you need to make room for someone who truly is a danger to society.

[happyslug]

17. Must be 12 was the Common Law age of Consent

n/t

[liberalnurse]

2. I find this Bill realistic and Progressive.

I just am appalled that they got out of prison on the first conviction for the opportunity to re-offend.

[China_cat]

8. You are going to be even more appalled

when juries start turning them free because they're reluctant to impose the death penalty.

We HAD the death penalty for rape of all kinds. And got very few convictions. (Usually only convictions we got were when the perp was black and the victim white and please don't act surprised about that fact.) We only started taking rapists off the streets when the DP came off the table and degrees rape/molestation were instituted.

I'd go for a lifetime of electronic monitoring AFTER the first conviction, but even for kids, I think you'll find that the results of this law will backfire.

[liberalnurse]

9. Today, crimes against children are

receiving the attention they deserve and outrage is the cry. I am interested in the jury ruling history you speak of because it indeed has merit. I am grateful to see the issue addressed with stinging sentences. A Life Sentence is fine with me as well.....

[China_cat]

10. People Against Rape

here worked very hard for a very long time to get the laws and penalties changed so that women and children could actually get some justice and we watched as it worked. Rapists were finally being put behind bars where they belonged. I know this new law states that the dp comes into play at the second conviction but in this state, when it comes to kids, you are guilty even if you can prove you were 6000 miles away for 3 months before and after the event. (It's something else we're working just as hard on now as we did the other before)

Most rational people here know this and if they are on a jury, they're going to think twice about convicting even the first time if another accusation could lead to a person getting death. Which means that there will be lots of sighs of relief from people falsely accused but it will also mean that there will be actual baby rapers walking the street again and able to laugh about getting away with it.

I want children protected, yes. But this law is NOT going to do it.

[China_cat]

11. You know, it just hit me that there is another side

another really BAD side to this law. If a pedophile knows he's going to get the death penalty anyway, what's to keep him from killing his victim?

[theoldman]

5. The problem comes in where do we draw the line?

Why not just put them all in prison for a very long time. Most sex criminals are young. Repeat offenses can only occur if they are released.

[liberalnurse]

6. Well, draw a line first then work with it

from there..............Action need to be implemented.

[mainegreen]

7. Death for a crime that does not result in death?

Daft. Of course, I'm against the death penalty for period, but seriously? I'm sorry, but the concept of executing someone for a crime that did not kill someone else is crazy. It goes way beyond an eye for an eye. Raping children is evil. But murder is worse.

[nova442]

12. Political posturing.

And a stupid one, at that. It's flatly unconstitutional since Coker v. Georgia.

[mainegreen]

13. Coker v. Georgia, interesting. Thanks for the case! Welcome to DU!

[happyslug]

18. Find Law link to Coker v Georgia.

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=CASE&court=US&vol=433&page=584

[AngelFactor]

14. Which raises the question

How many years before they werereleased

X X X

American Justice? Sure, so why is an attorney getting away with tampering with court documents even though he “inadvertently” filed three pages of emails detailing what was done with the court.

See for yourself: http://www.maximumadvocacy.com/Court_records.html, look on pages 25-27 of document 64.

Unbelievable. Priceless. Hilarious, if it wasn’t so sad but true.

How’s your faith in the justice system?

[SamuelAlito]

15. Looks Like Another South Carolina Law

I'm going to have to overturn. Now that I'm my own man, I've turned out to be a surpisingly liberal justice

[FILAM23]

16. It would get my vote

except I think it should happen on the first conviction.

[The Flaming Red Head]

19. Remember McMartin preschool? What if they’re innocent?

http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/psychology/mcmartin_daycare/1.html