Tennessee Bill Seeks To Authorize Death Penalty For Child Rapists
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The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
House Majority Leader Rep. William Lamberth (R-Portland-District 44) has filed a bill to authorize the death penalty as punishment for child rapists who were an adult at the time of the crime.
“They should forfeit their own life,” said Rep. Lamberth. “They should face the death penalty.”
According to the lawmaker, he filed this bill for the sake of victims.
“Their lives are altered forever,” Rep. Lamberth continued. “They carry those scars for the rest of their life.”
House Bill 1663 (HB1663) as introduced, would allow the death penalty to be prescribed as punishment for adults who commit the following crimes: rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, and especially aggravated rape of a child.
These charges are all classified as Class A felonies in Tennessee.
Current state law dictates that a person convicted of rape of a child must receive a minimum 35-40 year sentence and if appropriate, a 40-60 year sentence.
If a person is convicted of aggravated rape of a child, they must be sentenced to imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole.
Rep. Lamberth’s bill would simply be increasing the consequences for these crimes.
The bill text for HB1663 states that “if the defendant was an adult at the time of the offense, then the sentence must be: (A) Death; (B) Imprisonment for life without possibility of parole; or (C) Imprisonment for life.”
Imprisonment for life with the possibility for parole is not currently an option for defendants charged with aggravated or especially aggravated rape of a child. This would not change under HB1663.
Additionally, if the defendant was a juvenile at the time of the offense they would not face the death penalty but this bill would require sentencing to be “not less than forty (40) nor more than sixty (60) years.”
The bill text also states that whenever the death penalty is imposed in trial court the case must be reviewed by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
“I know that in passing this bill, this will be a bill that I’m sure will be challenged in court,” stated Rep. Lamberth. “I hope it goes all the way back up the Supreme Court and that they change their mind on this.”
Representatives Mary Littleton, Jeremy Faison, Kip Capley, Johnny Garrett, Clay Doggett, Jake McCalmon, Jason Zachary, Rusty Grills, Paul Sherrell, Rush Bricken, Dave Wright, and Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton have already been recorded as prime co-sponsors of HB1663.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee.
You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
I’d include mandatory castration for any sentence other than death.
The wording for molestation needs to be clarified too. And NO 30 YEARS ON DEATH ROW!
NO PAROLE HEARINGS EITHER, THEY ARE TRAUMATIC. I’ve been through 6. And his family had their travel, lodging, and food paid for, I had to pay my own way.
Juveniles who RAPE need addressing too. Not just a few months, as once they Rape they will Recidivate or Rape again.
Wow Gail that is cruel. I’m so sorry to hear that for you. Yes. They should be put to death just like the law requires. Why in the world would the courts pay for the rapist family to attend? Another way the law provides for the criminals and not the victim.
IMMEDIATE death penalty execution NEEDS added.
The prison for profit system NEEDS ending.
I 100% support this. Now let’s see if any bleeding-heart RINOS jump out and fight against it. I suggest making some phone calls and let them know we are watching. I will personally.
Will there be a carve-out exception for public school statutory rapist employees like there is for their gay porn in the public school library (for “educational purposes”)?
Asking for the students in White County, Tipton County, Sumner County, White House…you know, just the recent ones in the last year or so.
How about the death penalty for the school system administrators that won’t terminate their rapists and “pass the trash” to other systems?
This osunds nice but likely enough, it’ll result in fewer convictions.
There is also no reason to suspect a harsher penatly will make that much difference given how lax enforcement is of sya, Jeffery Epstein’s clinets.
Yes, Senator Blackburn has done good work, getting some of htis released.
But where are the indictments?
Will ALan Dershowitz “anti-Semite” hsi way out of it? Most likley, if Republicans want that AIAPC money.
Bill Clinton was guilty vis a vie Monocia Lewinsky a long time ago.
Hillary Clinton bragged about defending a child molester in her yonger days.
Flip side: the juvenile who accused David Koresh was in fact a serial lier but the ATF found it a good enough excuse for the Waco Massacre. One of the perpetrators was recently considered for head of ATF.
Pass all the laws anyone wants, but if enforcement is a matter of politics, then a revolution is inevitable.