Lawmakers Pass Chemical Castration Bill for Sex Offenders

Lawmakers Pass Chemical Castration Bill for Sex Offenders

By Zach Hester, Art Director • zach@southerntorch.com

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A bill that would require sex offenders whose victims were minors to undergo “chemical castration treatment” as a condition of parole is now on the desk of Governor Kay Ivey. 

The bill would require someone who had been “convicted of a sex offense involving a person under the age of 13” to start chemical castration treatment at least one month prior to their release from custody. If the offender chooses not to continue treatment, their parole will be violated and they will be taken back into custody. The Alabama Department of Public Health will be responsible for administering the treatment. 

The bill defines “chemical castration treatment” as “the receiving of medication...that, among other things, reduces, inhibits, or blocks the production of testosterone, hormones, or other chemicals in a person’s body.” 

At the time of press, the bill was being reviewed by Governor Kay Ivey. It passed through the Senate by a vote of 27-0 and the House by 72-16. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Steve Hurst (R-Munford). 

Alabama would not be the first state to implement this program. California was the first US state to allow chemical castration for child molesters in 1996, with others states — including Florida, Texas, and Montana — following suit in the years after.