Sex offenders may soon be forced to undergo castration as part of their parole, according to a bill filed Thursday by Tennessee Rep. Bruce Griffey (R-Paris).
“Sexual Offenses – As introduced, requires a person convicted of a sexual offense involving a person under 13 years of age to undergo chemical castration treatment as a condition of parole,” the bill on the state’s General Assembly website reads.
If the bill is passed, the law would take effect this summer and would be applied to offenses committed on or after July 1.
The text continues:
A person required to undergo chemical castration treatment shall begin the treatment not less than one (1) month prior to being released from custody of the department of correction and shall continue receiving treatment until the sentencing court determines the treatment is no longer necessary. The department of health shall administer the treatment.
The person shall pay for all of the costs associated with the chemical castration treatment. The cost of the treatment is in addition to any fine, court costs, restitution, or costs of supervision. A person may not be denied parole based solely on the person’s inability to pay for the costs associated with the treatment required by this section.
However, the offender may choose to stop treatments at any time, but doing so would constitute “a violation of the person’s parole and the person shall be immediately remanded to the custody of the department of correction for the remainder of the person’s sentence,” the bill states.
In May, Griffey cosponsored House Bill 0407, which prohibited a sex offender from staying overnight at a home where a minor lives or is present.