A bill that would make child rape punishable by the death penalty has passed the Tennessee Senate.
SB 1834, sponsored by State Senator Ken Yager (R-Kingston), “authorizes the death penalty as a punishment for rape of a child, aggravated rape of a child, or especially aggravated rape of a child.”
“If the defendant was an adult at the time of the offense, then the sentence must be death; imprisonment for life without possibility of parole; or imprisonment for life,” the summary of the bill says.
An amendment to the bill specifies that juveniles and those with mental disabilities who are convicted of raping a child cannot be punished with a death sentence.
Which sentence to seek would be left to the discretion of the prosecuting attorney but is encouraged to be sought if there are aggravating factors involved, like if the defendant raped multiple victims or a particularly vulnerable victim.
It passed with a 24-5 vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.
The current penalty for child rape in Tennessee is a minimum of 15 years but up to 60 years in prison and up to a $50,000 fine.
The Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition, which battles human trafficking in the state, said that the bill sends a clear message to would-be child traffickers.
“[Sen. Yager] just gave the children of TN a massive victory in the fight against child trafficking! Senator Yager spearheaded the passage of the Child Rape Death Penalty Option bill in our State Senate. This bill gives DA’s the option to seek the death penalty for child rapists. It also shines a massive signal to child traffickers that THEY ARE NOT WELCOME IN TENNESSEE!” the group said on its X account.
.@YagerTweets just gave the children of TN a massive victory in the fight against child trafficking!
Senator Yager spearheaded the passage of the Child Rape Death Penalty Option bill in our State Senate.
This bill gives DA's the option to seek the death penalty for child…
— Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition (@TNFaithFreedom) April 9, 2024
Tennessee House is considering passing its version of the legislation, HB 1663, sponsored by State Representative William Lamberth (R-Portland).
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, several other states, including Montana, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida, already have similar laws.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter.
