Tomorrow-Today Staff Report
A Day in the Senate
By Brooklynn Ruffin and Jordan Graves
SB11 Chemical Castration for Sex Offenders
Bill Author: Abigail Schoensiegel
Senator Schoensiegel’s bill concerns the mental effects of potential and actual rape victims in the state of Alabama. “If 13% of American women have been raped and 31% of rape victims have developed PTSD, 3.8 million adult American women have rape-related PTSD. About 30% of victims suffer from suicidal contemplation and 13% go through with it,” the bill’s author said. Schoensiegel refers to chemical castration as a way to stop and limit the amount of rapes that occur in Alabama. Chemical castration is described as a drug of leuprolide acetate that has intense effects to reduce the sex drive, sexual fantasies and capacity for sexual arousal in men. During the undebatable technical questions, she answered questions such as: how long the castration will last, if this bill refers to women as well and the side effects of chemical castration. After many questions and much debate, SB11 passed.
SB55 Green Light Red Light: Making the Oldest Profession New Again
Bill Author: Roni Keene
Senator Keene’s bill suggests the legalization of prostitution in the form of private brothels in the state of Alabama. Because prostitution is illegal in the state of Alabama, this bill would make it legal for those who have no other choice for employment. “Permits, background checks, and a clean bill of health (ownership permit exempt from health checks)” would be required to work at or own one of these establishments, under Keene’s bill. This legislation failed.
House Action for Friday, Feb. 23
By Caroline Cornes and Drue Perkins
Debate on the first day of the 75th Alabama Youth Legislative Conference in the House began with the three special order bills: HB5, HB9, and HB24. HB5, which requires entrance and exit examinations for the children in juvenile detention centers to determine the best way to continue their education, passed into law. It was a lively debate with strong opinions on both sides as it deals with Alabamians the age of delegates. HB9, which would have required police officers to engage in community service, was a hot bill with fiery debate but ended up failing. HB24, a bill to mandate kindergarten, was opposed by some, but supported by most. It passed, continuing to the Senate.
As the day went on, many bills were debated, from requiring gun permits to bringing back grasslands.
A Glimpse into the First Year Chamber
By Makenzie Mertel
FY46 Enforcing Body-Camera Usage on Correctional Officers
Bill Author: Samantha Berg
A body camera could catch: arrests, crime scene evidence and abuses of power. Special order bill, FY046 states that an officer of the law should wear a body camera for the entirety of one’s shift. Just as many delegates voted for both sides, there were many arguments for and against Delegate Berg’s bill. Abuse of power is the misuse of a position of power to take advantage of or harm a person. These positions among Alabama’s police force are held by people whom the citizens should be able to trust with their own, as well as their family’s safety. We also trust the officers to protect the rights of everyone, including the inmates in our prisons. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case; many prisoners are abused or even killed by the officers meant to protect us.
The example of abuse in our prisons given in FY46 was:
On Jan. 21, 2023, in the Ventress Correctional Facility, inmate Brandon Crosby was killed by blunt force trauma caused by Officer Timothy McCorvey. This wasn’t the first time Officer McCorvey had abused Crosby. Previously, McCorvey had been reinstated after striking Crosby twice while he was handcuffed and forced onto the ground. This was a clear abuse of Timothy McCorvey’s authority as an officer of the law.
This bill isn’t only for the protection of the inmates. Alabama’s officers are also protected by the body cameras mentioned in Berg’s bill. Perhaps even more often than police brutality, is inmate violence against officers. The body camera on the officer’s person would capture video evidence of an offense against them. This evidence could be used in court to properly prosecute the offender, whether it was in favor of the inmate or the officer.
As some of the delegates mentioned in their debate of Bill FY046, this bill could be seen as a violation of officer as well as inmate privacy. Some other concerns offered by the delegates include that it would be hard to put in place, increase tensions between inmates and officers, and it would be quite costly. However, many delegates and the author of the bill provided counterarguments to these claims. In Section IV of FY046, she states that the body cameras will be implemented through the Brye Memorial Justice Assistance Grant. This grant alone provides $360 million annually. Other arguments in favor of FY46 include that it would solidify the witness’s testimony and protect the rights of all those involved. One delegate called Berg’s bill “flawless.” The legislation passed.