Act 662- created the offense of capital rape which is set to go into effect on August 5th. This amended portion of SB375 would allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty against child rapist. Capital rape applies to rape of a child 13 years or younger.
The current maximum current penalty for any kind of rape in Arkansas is life in prison. The last time someone was put to death in Arkansas for rape was in 1956. Since that time a United State Supreme Court bench ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in cases of rape. That ruling could make trying these cases difficult for prosecutors and they would have to meet certain criteria.
To read the entire bill as presented go here…https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=SB375&chamber=Senate&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R