Missouri executes Marcellus Williams despite prosecutors’ push to overturn conviction

[u/seanosul]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/24/missouri-executes-marcellus-williams

[u/parasyte_steve]

They just legalized chemical castration in Louisiana for cases of pedophilia. Like I get it but the fact that an innocent person could potentially get castrated over bad evidence or etc is simply unacceptable. And I do not trust the Louisiana legal system at all.

[u/WritestheMonkey → u/parasyte_steve]

Trust has no place in a legal system.

[u/HauntedCemetery → u/WritestheMonkey]

Those words should be carved in stone over the door of every courthouse in the country.

[u/EidolonLives → u/WritestheMonkey]

It does in a justice system. But yeah, if only the US had one.

[u/sionnachrealta → u/EidolonLives]

Except to have justice, you can't trust anything. Everything must be constantly checked for bias and inaccuracy

[u/glacius0 → u/parasyte_steve]

I feel like you may be thinking chemical castration is permanent. It's not. It is accomplished with hormone blocking drugs, and when a person stops taking the drugs the effect is often completely reversed. FWIW France and the UK are some countries where it is approved for use on sexual offenders. These are countries where the death penalty is banned.

It's also a treatment for prostate cancer, although I'm not sure if it uses the exact same drug.

[u/MyNameIsAirl → u/glacius0]

According to this NPR article chemical castration was already legal in Louisiana and several other states. The new law legalized surgical castration, removing ovaries or testicles. Though it also says they can't force it but if the order wasn't complied with it would mean additional prison time with no chance of parole.

Honestly the idea of the government forcing people to take hormone blockers sounds sketchy and ripe for abuse. It opens some doors that I'm not sure I'm comfortable with having open, it just seems like a step towards eugenics. I understand the logic of its use for specific crimes but it seems to at least fall under the 'unusual' part of cruel and unusual punishment. It would be interesting to see opinions from lawyers and doctors on such laws.

[u/grated_testes → u/parasyte_steve]

They just legalized chemical castration in Louisiana for cases of pedophilia.

I bet this is just an gay witch hunt. They love to equate gayness with pedophilia

[u/sionnachrealta → u/parasyte_steve]

Not to mention the fact that sex crime laws have been weaponized against people of color and queer people for generations. Project 2025 is trying to do just that to the trans community by making our existence in public a federal sex crime. That sort of "punishment" will be turned into another weapon of genocide & oppression.

And before anyone says anything, I'm a survivor of pedophilia and incest. As someone else said, I've got skin in this game

[u/naricstar → u/parasyte_steve]

Wait,

I thought genitalia was sacred to Louisiana

[u/Cant0thulhu → u/naricstar]

Only seemingly in new orleans.

[u/whoami_whereami → u/parasyte_steve]

Chemical castration isn't permanent, it requires constant drug intake and the effects reverse when they stop taking the drugs. Well, mostly non-permanent, as some negative effects on cardiovascular health and bone density may remain.

[u/MyNameIsAirl → u/parasyte_steve]

According to this NPR article chemical castration was already legal in Louisiana and some other states but the new law legalized surgical castration. It also says that they can't force it but it would add additional time to your sentence with no chance of parole.

[u/Zerachiel_01 → u/parasyte_steve]

From everything I've read, chemical castration is not as bad as it sounds. It can have some serious side effects, especially if taken long-term, but it's mostly reversible by simply not taking the meds.

[u/CertainKaleidoscope8 → u/parasyte_steve]

Chemical castration is 100% reversible It's just Depo-Provera.