HB379 Summary

• Courts shall order persons convicted of sex offenses involving victims under age 13 to undergo chemical castration treatment as a mandatory parole condition, subject to existing parole statutes.

• Treatment involves medication such as medroxyprogesterone acetate or chemical equivalents that reduce or inhibit testosterone and hormone production, administered by the Department of Public Health.

• Treatment must begin at least one month before release from the Department of Corrections and continue until the court determines it is no longer necessary.

• Parolees must pay all treatment costs; however, indigent persons determined by court may have fees waived if they prove inability to pay within the reasonably foreseeable future, with periodic reviews allowed.

• Parolees may voluntarily stop treatment at any time, but refusal constitutes a parole violation resulting in immediate return to custody, and intentional treatment cessation is a Class C felony.