Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is backing two bills in California which would require sex offenders to wear tracking devices for the rest of their lives and increase prison time for a variety of sex offenses.

The San Francisco Chronicle has the full story.

First off, let me say that sex crimes such as the rape of small children are some of the most vile and disgusting things I can possibly think of. People who commit these crimes should be punished.

That said, wearing a tracking device for life is in fact a life sentence, and if you’re going to sentence someone to life for the crime, you should be up-front about your intentions.

As much as this program is likely to cost, you may as well just have them spend the rest of their lives in prison. That way you won’t have to worry about them coming after your children anymore.

It used to be a principle of American justice that you took your punishment and once it was over, it was over, and you could attempt to return to being a normal, productive member of society. The electronic tracking device for life eliminates this possibility for an entire class of people. They may as well still be in prison, with having to wear one of these, and so it’s not likely to deter them from committing another crime.

A better solution would be to offer these offenders medical and psychological treatment, while in prison, up to and including voluntary castration. I can’t say it’s a perfect solution, but it’s better than giving them a tracking device which will prevent them from living a normal life and thereby cause them to commit more crimes.