Deal would permit executions of worst child predators

Source: Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

April 18, 2007, 12:09AM
Deal would permit executions of worst child predators

By POLLY ROSS HUGHES
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN — A long-awaited Senate compromise over how to punish child-sex offenders would reserve the death penalty for only the most dangerous predators.

The major-child-sex-offender bill backed by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst would allow the death penalty only for those twice convicted of raping a child 13 or younger.
(snip)

Yet, the new wording hashed out over the past month is less drastic than a proposal Dewhurst highlighted during his January inaugural address.

"There's tough. And then there's Texas tough," Dewhurst had said of the bill as conceived.

It would have created a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years for a wide variety of sex crimes against children. A second offense for any of those could result in the death penalty.







Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4724944.html

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Yeah. We found that out on 9/11/2001.

--p!

Parking tickets become a capital crime in Tejas?

At this rate, they won't have enough people left who aren't on death row, to administer the sentence.

Texas: Where Everyone Needs Killin'

Anyone found letting a rapist out on the streets to hurt another child: judges, prosecuting attorneys, etc....

In the 80s it was big, dangerous black guys...the Willie Hortons that were supposed to scare white people.

In the 90s with Clinton's extension of the War on Drugs, it became dealers that were eligible.

Right after 9/11, terrorists get the hot seat.

Now it's child predators.

I fail to see what the problem is with locking up murderers for life and throwing away the key.

to sentence people. The capital charge is for infant rape. Something like raping a child under 2 or 3 can result in a capital conviction.

I don't support capital punishment, because it doesn't work, puts blood on the hands of government and is a slippery slope as you end up executing people for lesser and lesser offenses. I do understand the sentiment in this situation, though. I suppose before the advent of prison, people like this were stoned to death by the rest of the village.

A couple from Southwest Louisiana was convicted of infant rape a few years ago (less than 18 months) and the couple were both sentenced to death.

I think the clamor for this would die down if law enforcement became serious about preventing reoffending by sticking certain types of offenders with LONG sentences.