Pedophillia Death Penalty

By Vinella Jill Vinca
April 17, 2024

Florida lawmakers permit authorization of the death penalty for pedophiles who sexually abuse children under the age of 12.

The death penalty was originally prohibited. In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court argued for its violation of the eighth amendment because it was judged as a cruel and unusual punishment. As time went on, this restriction was lifted in 2008 to allow the death penalty to be given only if the victim of the criminal was killed.

However, Gov. Ron DeSantis in the Florida State Capitol ultimately approved the death penalty for pedophiles who commit child sexual abuse under the age of twelve. 

This decision was driven by the recent case of Joseph Giampa, a 36-year-old pedophile who sexually abused children. His crimes were discovered after Lake County deputies found a video of him assaulting a young boy on his laptop. After further investigation, it led to the discovery of his crime records which included six counts of sexual battery on children under the age of twelve, and three counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child.

For this reason, Florida believes that the death penalty can be justified. The court explained how this crime was heinous, atrocious, cruel, and was aimed for monetary gain. Martin, a former prosecutor, added how this tragedy often resulted in long-lasting trauma for the victim. 

This crime is even worse as the perpetrators are often serial offenders, according to DeSantis. “My view is, you have some of these people that will be serial rapists of six, seven-year-old kids.” The possibility of continuous victims that the perpetrators can harm became a concern in the community. With the threat to children’s safety wandering amongst the populace, DeSantis believes that the justification of the penalty can be given. “I think the death penalty is the only appropriate punishment when you have situations like that.” 

The penalty is aimed at the community’s well-being. This severe penalty was hoped to bring an accountability effect to the criminals for their actions. With more awareness and protective laws for the people, it’s hoped that this change can strengthen justice in the community.