Idaho's tough new laws for child rape.

[red750]

He called it sickening. He called it evil. Then he signed the two harshest laws in the country. No hesitation.

In March 2025, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed two laws that together created the harshest punishment framework for child sex offenders in the country. HB 380 made sexual abuse of children under 12 a capital crime punishable by death when at least three aggravating factors are present. HB 37 made the firing squad Idaho's primary method of execution, replacing lethal injection as the default. Both laws take effect on July 1, 2026. 

When signing HB 380, Little said: "The sexual abuse of children is sickening and evil, and perpetrators convicted of these crimes deserve the ultimate punishment." The House passed the death penalty bill 63 to 0. The Senate followed 30 to 5. Before HB 380, Idaho had no mandatory minimum sentences for child sex abuse.

The state is spending $950,000 to retrofit its maximum security prison near Kuna for firing squad executions, and construction is already underway.

[Marty_d]

Source? Sounds fake. Even for the US

[onetrack]

It is largely true, and the legislation has been passed by the Idaho legislature - but it hasn't been signed into law by the Idaho Governor yet.

 

Then, it appears, if the law is signed by the State Governor, there will be a Federal legal challenge to it.

 

https://idahocapitalsun.com/2025/03/24/idaho-legislature-widely-approves-child-sex-abuse-death-penalty-bill-sending-to-governor/

[facthunter]

Make the death Penalty Mandated and the rapist will kill the victims so they can't tell and the Penalty is No Higher anyway, so what have they got to Lose?  Nev

[Jerry_Atrick]

I am no fan of the death penalty, but it doesn't seem a fait a compli that because there would be a death penalty, they will kill the victom, anyway. Rape is more often about exerting control than gratifying a sexual urge; and given the punishment can be severe (usuallky, not enough IMHO), if a parist is partial to killing the evidence, they will do so anyway. 

 

The US position on death penalty for non-death offences is far from settled, but it would be more difficult than not to see such a law passed held to be valid under the 8th Amendment: https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-8/non-homicide-offenses-and-death-penalty

 

FWIW, which is not much, my opinion is that the death penalty in these cases is more about trying to remove the perpetratrors from the gene pool than any real deterrent. 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Jerry_Atrick

[willedoo]

Idaho is a beautiful state. I know people in Idaho as one of my best mates was from there. He was out here last year visiting and we got to catch up after a lot of years, but sadly he died suddenly three weeks after he went home. When he left here we were discussing his next trip back here in a couple of years time and the possibility of me going over there for a visit in the interim, as I haven't been there since the mid 80's. It's a very scenic place with the mountains and rivers and a nice slow, relaxed lifestyle a bit like we had here several decades ago. Not a big popuation, the capital has only 235,000 people. According to the mate, it hasn't changed much since I was there 40 years ago. His family live on the Snake River; attached is one of his photos of a canyon near their place.

Edited 35 minutes ago by willedoo

[red750]

An internet search brought up this from the Idaho State Legislature which I couldn't access

 

 

But there was a report in the Idaho Capital Sun.