Louisiana’s Controversial Castration Law: Should Child Molesters Be Castrated?

Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office

The physical castration of a pedophile who raped and impregnated a 14-year-old girl will be put into effect.

On April 17, 54-year-old man Glenn Sullivan, a resident of Springfield, Louisiana, was sentenced to 50 years in prison and physical castration for four counts of second-degree rape.

The investigation began in July 2022 when a teenage girl reported that Sullivan had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. The girl’s pregnancy was subsequently confirmed, and a DNA test revealed that Sullivan was the father.

According to the investigation, Sullivan groomed the young girl and threatened her and her family with violence to prevent them from reporting the abuse.

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Under Louisiana law, men convicted of certain rape crimes can be sentenced to chemical or physical castration. Assistant District Attorney Brad J. Cascio said, “This case was severe enough that I felt such measures were necessary.”

Physical castration can only proceed with the defendant’s consent, and Cascio added, “Sullivan agreed to this castration sentence.”

The spokesperson of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections stated, “Physical castration is ‘very rare’ and only needs to be completed within one week of release. It could happen immediately or later.”

In other words, Sullivan may not be castrated until after his 50-year sentence ends, which means he could be over 100 years old.

Chemical castration involves administering drugs to male suspects to reduce sexual urges and suppress testosterone production, while physical castration involves surgically removing part of the male genitalia.

Louisiana State Government is currently in the process of introducing a bill that would allow for the surgical castration of sex offenders who commit crimes against victims under the age of 13, even without their consent.