OKLAHOMA CITY –
Current Law
Current state law allows those convicted of certain sex crimes against children under 14 to be sentenced to death or life without parole—but only after a second offense. Senate Bill 599, authored by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, seeks to change that.
“The question that immediately came to mind was, why is there ever a second offense of a crime of this nature?” Hamilton said.
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Origin of the Bill
Hamilton said he began working on the legislation last year while researching age of consent laws. He found what he called a critical flaw in Oklahoma statutes—one that he believes puts children at risk by allowing offenders another chance.
“I drafted the bill originally as a simple fix, let’s move second offense to first offense,” he said. “I pitched it to several law enforcement colleagues, every one of them had the same question as me: Why is there ever a second offense of this crime?”
Focus on Prevention, Not Execution
The bill’s aim, Hamilton said, is not to increase executions but to act as a deterrent and ensure perpetrators are never able to harm another child again.
“The goal is not necessarily to add to the number of executions,” he said. “It’s simply to keep these monsters away from children so this can never happen again.”
Lasting Harm to Victims
Hamilton cited emotional, physical, and lifelong trauma inflicted on young victims, including toddlers.
“They’ve received what is in effect a death sentence for something that they had no part in,” he said.
He said that the bill’s top priority is to protect children in Oklahoma.
“We’re gonna keep children safe when something like this happens to a child. The obvious answer is this child has been robbed of his or her innocence, and something has been taken from them,” he said. “We’re hoping to send a signal to anyone who would think they want to perpetuate these heinous crimes that Oklahoma is definitely not the place to do that.”
Next Steps
The bill now heads to the Oklahoma House for consideration.
