Oklahoma joins growing list of states making child rape a capital crime (despite current SCOTUS prohibition)
As reported in this local article, “Oklahoma is now one of the states with the harshest penalties for child sex offenses after lawmakers paved the way for the death penalty for crimes against children.” Here is more:
Gov. Kevin Still signed Senate Bill 599 into law on May 22.
The new law grants prosecutors the authority to pursue the death penalty for individuals convicted of child rape on a first offense. Additionally, it allows judges to sentence individuals found guilty of lewd molestation of a child under the age of 14 to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Delaware and Ottawa County District Attorney Doug Pewitt said a current U.S. Supreme Court ruling prohibits the death penalty in child rape cases. “If the court ruling changes, then we will seek to enforce the law,” said Pewitt.
In May, Idaho lawmakers approved legislation allowing the death penalty in child rape convictions. Tennessee and Florida passed a law in 2024 and 2023, and Alabama is seeking to pass a similar law.
I have noted in some prior posts that it could be quite a long time before the Supreme Court could or would take up a child rape death sentence to give it a chance to perhaps reconsider its Kennedy v. Louisiana ruling from 2008. But having more states passing these laws likely should help speed up the timeline.
A few prior related posts: