Welcome to recycled failed law theater starring Steve Hurst and Kurt Wallace

The Alabama 2014 session is still about three months away but I'm already seeing the rehash of previous bills that failed to pass. I am environmentally conscious and recycle regularly, but some things should never be recycled, such as bad laws that have had multiple defeats.

HB 14: Sex Offender Castration Bill

HB 14: Hurst Crimes and Offenses H Pending Committee Action in House of Origin Judiciary 10/2/2013
Criminal sex offenders over age 21, sex offenses against child 12 years of age or younger, surgical castration required prior to release from custody of Corrections Department

House Bill 14 is very straightforward, of course. Below is the Sponsor's information:

STEVE HURST
State House: Room 627-C
11 S. Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36130
(334) 353-9215
District: 155 Quail Run Road
Munford, AL 36268
Home Phone: (256) 761-1935

VERDICT: It should go without saying ReFORM-AL strongly opposes this bill. 

HB 21: Revised Anti-Cluster Bill

Senator Wallace's recycled "anti-clustering" bill, now known as HB 21, on the other hand, is far more complex. I'd like to think the vastly modified anti-clustering law was at least partially the result of the efforts of ReFORM-AL. This bill is about 12 pages long so I will just summarize the bill:

1. The bill defines a "sex offender cluster" as any property, including a hotel, apartment building, or multi-family unit; and it still bars two or more unrelated registrants from living in the same unit. (Unlike last year's law, the 500 foot residency restriction from other registrants is not in this provision).
2. This bill sets guidelines for the creation and regulation of "large residential sex offender clusters." No registrant or felon can run a facility; the Mental Health Dept. establishes guidelines for facilities, but the sheriff decides who gets licenses; cannot house more than 30 registrants in any one location; the facility must pay a $100 licensing fee + $20 per registrant fee.
3. Repeals the Jefferson County anti-clustering law passed in 2010

VERDICT: Wallace is still motivated by shutting down the facility in his county, and this latest attempt at getting what he wants. His loftier speech is not fooling me. There are a few parts of the bill I can agree with, such as repealing the Jefferson Co. anti-cluster law and some of the standards adoptions are good, but this bill is still a cluster of bad laws. As written, this bill is still bad and this, ReFORM-AL opposes.

Below is the contact info.

REPRESENTATIVE KURT WALLACE

State House: Room 427-J
11 S. Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36130
(334) 242-7772
Home Address:  24 Maple Drive
Maplesville, AL.  36750
Work Phone: (334) 366-4211
Email: representativewallace@gmail.com

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL BECKMAN

State House: Room 427-D
11 S. Union Street
Montgomery, AL 36130
(334) 242-7499

District Address:

1803 Tara Drive
Prattville, AL. 36066

P.O. Box 680155
Prattville, AL.  36068

Home: (334) 361-0977
Work: (334) 834-4808
District: (334) 323-5918
Cell: (334) 300-1780
Fax: (334) 834-4801
Email: paulbeckmanjr@yahoo.com

A visual representation on Alabama's 2014 Legislative Session

Because I want awareness of these laws, I want to keep theis post at the top, so I will include media links to coverage of this bill here:

AL.com on Kurt Wallace's anti-cluster law: http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/10/legislators_want_to_require_li.html

Clanton Advertiser on Wallace's bill:
http://www.clantonadvertiser.com/2013/10/23/sex-offender-bill-pre-filed/comment-page-1/#comment-22713

The Drs TV show discusses the castration law:
 http://www.thedoctorstv.com/videolib/init/9956

Rep. Steve Hurst [D-Munford] has pushed legislation authorizing castration 4 years

Rep. Steve Hurst, D-Munford, has pushed legislation authorizing castration for four long years now. However, given the political climate in Alabama, it is always worth noting. Personally politicians like him should be surgically lobotomized

http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/12644488-Local-legislator-wants-pedophiles-castrated

Local legislator wants pedophiles castrated

by Patrick McCreless
Star staff writer

04.06.11 - 03:00 am

Rep. Steve Hurst wants to protect children from p***s and sees castration of certain sex offenders as the way to do it, though at least one civil rights group disagrees with him.

Hurst, a Republican from Talladega, has proposed a bill that would require convicted child molesters to be surgically castrated under certain conditions. Specifically, the bill states that anyone more than 21 years old convicted of certain sex offenses against a child 12 years old or younger must be surgically castrated before being released from the state Department of Corrections.

“We need something to protect the children out here,” Hurst said. “They can’t protect themselves.”

Olivia Turner, executive director of the Alabama chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a Tuesday email to The Star that while Hurst’s intentions are good, he is going too far with his bill.

Turner said the castration bill is based on a false premise that sexual assault is the product of an uncontrollable sex drive.

“The reality is that sexual crimes are about violence, power and the humiliation of a survivor or victim, which is why a castrated sex offender can still be a serious danger,” Turner wrote. “The highest priority for members of the Legislature working to reduce repeat offenses by sex offenders should be an examination of the effectiveness and availability of psychological treatment for sex offenders in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections.”

Currently in Alabama, convicted pedophiles released from prison must file with the sex offender registry in the county where they will live. They are not allowed to live near schools or churches. County sheriff’s offices are required to routinely check up on the sex offenders in their jurisdiction to ensure the offenders’ addresses still correspond to what is listed in the registry.

Along with surgery, there is also the option of chemical castration, in which a male is required to take routine injections of a chemical that suppresses the amount of testosterone he produces, thereby lowering his sexual urges, said Fred Berlin, founder of the Johns Hopkins University sexual disorder clinic.

Either method has been shown to suppress sexual urges among some pedophiles, Berlin said in contrast to ACLU’s view.

“It can lower the intensity of their sexual desires,” Berlin said. “There is pretty good evidence that if you lower testosterone, you lower sex drive.”

Chemical castration has been used in other states as a means to deter pedophiles from molesting children.

Eight states currently permit chemical castration under certain circumstances, including Georgia, California, Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin.

Berlin noted that different chemicals can be used to suppress the sex drives in female p****s as well.

“It’s very unusual for pedophilia to occur among women, but it does happen,” Berlin said. “There are testosterone-like hormones that are important in the sexual drive of women and there are drugs that can suppress that.”

Hurst, however, said he prefers surgical castration.

“The chemical castration, that’s fine as long as they are taking the medication, but who is to say they will continue taking it,” Hurst said.

Berlin disagreed with Hurst.

“There is really no reason to do surgical castration,” Berlin said. “The monthly chemical injections can be monitored … and one can completely reverse the surgical effects by taking testosterone.”

Berlin added that castration is not a guarantee a sex offender will not try to molest a child again, since it cannot suppress urges completely and because pedophilia can be caused by biological or mental factors.

“There is some preliminary biological evidence for causes of pedophilia,” Berlin said. “And it does appear some boys who are sexually abused can be warped in their sexual development and can develop pedophilia.”

Berlin agreed with the ACLU that psychological treatment for pedophiles was a viable option.

“There are many treatments, such as group therapy that is similar to therapy for alcoholics,” Berlin said.

Even though Republicans now control the state Legislature, Hurst could not say if the bill would pass.

“I think it will be the mood of the people, regardless of who is in control,” he said. “I’d like to pass something. If we can save one child … not to be mentally destroyed, that’s what I want to do.”

Contact staff writer Patrick McCreless at 256-235-3561.
Yes, Hurst has barked up this tree before unsuccessfully:

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20090208/NEWS/902070238/1007?tc=ar

I have just released an article on Castration Laws-- Read it here:

http://www.oncefallen.com/castration.html

No one has taken him seriously... yet, but we are always one high profile case away from having this abominable law passed.

STEVE HURST

State House:	Room 627-C 11 S. Union Street Montgomery, AL 36130 (334) 353-9215	District:	155 Quail Run Road Munford, AL 36268
Home Phone:	(256) 761-1935

Steve Hurst running on human mutilation platform

This is Steve Hurst, who is seeking a fourth term for the State House of Representatives. Like most politicos, Hurst is bringing up sex offender issues, which likely means he's probably losing in the polls to his opponent. Either that or there are more than just questions about the $85,000+ he received by PAC groups in the past month.

That in itself is not groundbreaking news. The legislation he has proposed, however, is very disturbing and for this reason, ReFORM Alabama prays this man loses his election:

http://www.dailyhome.com/view/full_story/10112080/article-Hurst-says-he-s-not-done-yet---has-more-work-to-do?instance=home_right

One of the bills Hurst cites as most important to him in seeking another term deals with punishments for people who sexually abuse children.

“The attorney general presented a package two years ago, I think, that would have provided chemical castration for convicted sex offenders. I added an amendment calling for surgical castration. The AG asked me to remove the amendment so the federal courts didn’t strike down the whole thing, but promised me he would support me on a stand alone bill that would do just that. I want it to be tested in the federal courts. You don’t ever get in if you don’t keep knocking.”

The attorney general offered no help with the stand alone bill, but Hurst said he kept up the effort anyway.

The most recent version of the bill required life in prison for conviction of a sex crime against a child less than 12. Release would require surgical castration, which would be up to the inmate. Under Hurst’s original bill, molestation of a child under the age of six could carry the death penalty. In the version that passed the House Judiciary Committee, a sentence of life without parole was required for the rape, sodomy or sexual torture of a child under the age of 8.

“That’s the reason I want to go back,” he said.

Read more: The Daily Home - Hurst says he s not done yet has more work to do

Steve Hurst wishes not only to disobey the US Supreme Court by executing sex offenders who do not kill their victims, he wishes to castrate them as well. It is a bad thing when even Troy King, the sadistic soon-to-be-ex-AG, warns you to remove a mutilation provision of a bill. This man must NOT be re-elected!

UPDATE: Hurst won in a VERY CLOSE race with his opponent in the Nov. 2 election. Too bad.

STEVE HURST

State House:	Room 627-C 11 S. Union Street Montgomery, AL 36130 (334) 353-9215	District:	155 Quail Run Road Munford, AL 36268
Home Phone:	(256) 761-1935