BOISE, Idaho (LifeSiteNews) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law legislation allowing the death penalty for pedophiles charged with aggravated lewd conduct with children 12 and younger and strengthening punishments for other convicted pedophiles.
“Just like capital murder destroys lives, aggravated sexual abuse of a young child devastates victims and families for generations. The sexual abuse of children is sickening and evil, and perpetrators convicted of these crimes deserve the ultimate punishment,” the governor said in a statement.
“Idaho also just became the ONLY state to make death by firing squad the primary method of execution,” said the governor, who commended the legislature for strengthening Idaho’s already powerful “tough on crime” reputation among the states.
House Bill 380 directs judges and juries to sentence adults who are found guilty of pederasty – lewd conduct with minors between 13 and 16 years old – to a mandatory 25 years in prison with a possible maximum of life in prison if kidnapping, human trafficking, torture, or other crimes were involved in harming the minor.
The new strict sentencing guidelines for sexual offenses against minors 12 and under are harsher.
If defendants meet just three of 17 criteria, including committing three or more incidents of lewd conduct with a minor, using alcohol or drugs to intoxicate a minor, or transmitting a sexually transmitted disease to a minor, prosecutors can seek the death penalty.
“Idaho will not tolerate sexual abuse of our children,” said Republican state Rep. Bruce Skaug, who noted that up until now the state has had “some of the most lenient statutes for child molestation and child rape in the nation.”
“Unlike most states, Idaho currently lacks mandatory minimum sentences for these horrific crimes, meaning judges have the discretion to place the worst offenders on probation,” state Sen. Doug Ricks explained last month.
“When I look at the types of circumstances that would lead to these charges – and I think about the irreparable and irreversible damage done to a child who then has to live with the consequences of these actions upon them for the rest of their lives – I think this is about accountability and about how we value life,” said Senate Majority Leader Lori Den Hartog, a Republican, during floor arguments before passage of the bill.
Two states – Florida and Tennessee – have also recently passed laws allowing for the death penalty for child rape cases.
