Before Zachary Dewayne Doolittle, 40, was sentenced, he was given a choice: accept surgical castration, or have three to five years added to an already decades-long prison term. He chose the surgery.

On April 6, 2026, Doolittle pleaded guilty to first-degree rape of a family member under the age of 13, molestation of a juvenile, and promoting, advertising, and producing child pornography. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

The Law That Made It Possible

Louisiana became the first U.S. state to impose surgical castration as a criminal punishment when Governor Jeff Landry signed Act 651 in June 2024. The law went into effect on August 1, 2024, and applies to adults convicted of first or second-degree aggravated rape involving a child victim under the age of 13. The offender must be over 16 for the law to apply.

Doolittle is the first person sentenced under the law. His case moved through the courts after investigators found the child wearing disposable pull-ups and learned the child had been deprived of food as a form of punishment.

A Sentence Without Precedent in the U.S.

Surgical castration as criminal punishment is legal in only a handful of places globally, including Madagascar, parts of Nigeria, and the Czech Republic. Critics, including legal scholars and human rights advocates, have called the practice barbaric, arguing it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. They also point out that research on the effectiveness of castration in preventing reoffending is extremely limited, since almost all existing data comes from patients who volunteered for the procedure rather than those who were ordered to undergo it.

Supporters of the law argue that the severity of crimes against young children warrants an equally severe response.

What Prosecutors Said

Bossier-Webster District Attorney Schuyler Marvin stated that his office is committed to prosecuting predators who victimize children and will continue working with law enforcement partners to protect them.

Doolittle will serve his 45-year sentence and undergo surgical castration as required by Louisiana law.