Idaho state approved the death penalty by firing squad for pedophiles.

The recently approved HB380 Bill in Idaho establishes a series of stricter measures against pedophiles, including the possibility of  imposing the death penalty in cases of severe sexual abuse of children under 12 years old.

This law expands the capital punishment, which previously only applied in cases of first-degree murder with aggravating circumstances, and allows a judge or jury to consider the death penalty if crimes related to lewd conduct toward minors are proven.

Additionally, it establishes harsher penalties for other crimes related to child sexual abuse, such as kidnapping or human trafficking, if they occur during the abuse.

The bill was promoted by Republican Representative Bruce Skaug and Assistant Majority Leader Josh Tanner, who argued that Idaho's laws were too lenient with child abusers and that the new legislation would offer a strong deterrent against these crimes.

Skaug stated that the goal of the law is to send a clear message that Idaho will not tolerate these crimes. Republican Governor Brad Little also supported the law, highlighting that child sexual abuse is a devastating crime that deserves the maximum penalty. The governor expressed that the law would strengthen Idaho's reputation as a "tough on crime" state.

Although the law was passed almost unanimously, there were some opponents, including the blunt critics who incorrectly argue that the death penalty for pedophiles could violate the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishments.

In 2008, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty for child sexual abuse was not proportional, based on the case Kennedy v. Louisiana.

Nevertheless, Skaug and other supporters of the law believe that the Court might rule differently if the case were reopened today, given that legal opinions on capital punishment in these cases have changed.

In addition to the expansion of the death penalty, the law also introduces execution by firing squad as the preferred method of execution in Idaho, making the state the first to adopt this measure in modern times.

The death penalty by firing squad was already authorized in other states like Utah, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Mississippi, but Idaho is the first to establish it as the primary method. The last execution in the United States by firing squad occurred in 2010 in Utah.

Attorney General Raúl Labrador also expressed his support for the law, highlighting that Idaho's children deserve greater protection and that the law provides an adequate response to the most heinous crimes.

Idaho now joins other states that are adopting stricter penalties for child sexual offenses, standing out as one of the most severe in terms of its punishments and as an example to follow.