The state maintains separate statutes for chemical treatment and surgical castration, each carrying medical and procedural requirements.
NEW ROADS, La. — The sentencing of a former Louisiana police officer to three life terms and chemical castration is putting renewed attention on state laws that give judges unusual additional sentencing options for certain serious sex crimes.
District Judge Kevin Kimball sentenced Kedreyon K. Williams, 31, on Nov. 12 after a jury convicted the former New Roads police officer and volunteer firefighter of three counts of first-degree rape, indecent behavior with a juvenile and possession of pornography involving juveniles. Prosecutors said the children were ages 8 to 11. The 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office sought castration in addition to the prison sentences, and later clarification identified the order as chemical castration.
Louisiana has two distinct statutes dealing with castration as a criminal sentence. One, in place since 2008, permits courts to order treatment with medroxyprogesterone acetate for people convicted of specified sex offenses. Another law, enacted in 2024, allows surgical castration for certain aggravated sex offenses involving victims younger than 13. The two laws carry different requirements and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Under the chemical-castration statute, a judge may order medroxyprogesterone acetate treatment after a first conviction for several listed offenses, including first-degree rape. The medication is administered according to a schedule monitored by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. State law makes clear that the treatment cannot be substituted for another sentence or used to reduce a prison term.
The chemical-treatment law also requires medical review. A court order is contingent on a determination that the person is an appropriate candidate for treatment. When an offender is incarcerated, the law says treatment is to begin no later than one week before release. For someone imprisoned for 10 years or longer, the medical evaluation is conducted closer to the anticipated start of treatment. The statute also says continued treatment is not required when it is medically inappropriate.
Those provisions create an unanswered practical question in Williams’ case because he was sentenced to three life terms. The public sentencing announcement does not explain when chemical treatment would begin or how the statutory provisions tied to release would operate in conjunction with his prison sentences. No separate treatment schedule was disclosed in the available court-related announcements and reports.
The state’s surgical-castration law is newer. It applies to qualifying aggravated sex offenses committed on or after Aug. 1, 2024, when the victim was under 13. It authorizes a judge to impose surgical castration in addition to other punishment and directs the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to arrange the procedure through a licensed physician.
That law also contains safeguards tied to medical suitability. A court-appointed medical expert must determine that the offender is an appropriate candidate for surgery. For an incarcerated offender, the statute says the procedure is to be performed no later than one week before release. It does not require surgery when the procedure is medically inappropriate.
Prosecutors initially used broader language when discussing what they intended to seek against Williams. After his October conviction, the district attorney’s office said it planned to file a motion seeking physical castration. After sentencing, however, reporting based on clarification from the office said the sentence calls for chemical castration. That distinction matters because Louisiana law treats medication and surgery under separate statutes.
Williams’ convictions followed a four-day trial in 18th Judicial District Court. Jurors deliberated 39 minutes before finding him guilty. Prosecutors said the investigation began after the mother of one child contacted police about information disclosed by her child, leading investigators to identify other victims.
Authorities said some of the crimes occurred at New Roads fire stations where Williams was a volunteer firefighter, with other offenses taking place at his workplace and residence. Prosecutors also said evidence included a video recovered from his cellphone involving the sexual abuse of a child. The victims have not been publicly identified.
Kimball imposed three life sentences for the first-degree rape convictions. At sentencing, he described the case as the worst child sexual abuse case he had seen, according to the district attorney’s office. District Attorney Tony Clayton said his office viewed castration as an additional punishment rather than a replacement for incarceration.
For now, Williams’ three life terms and the chemical-castration order remain the central components of the sentence. The publicly available sentencing information does not state when treatment would occur, leaving its timing subject to the court order, Louisiana law and required medical determinations.
Author note: Last updated November 14, 2026.