Louisiana judges can now sentence certain sex offenders to surgical castration, after Gov. Jeff Landry on Tuesday signed a bill into law that creates that penalty.

Offenders who receive such a sentence may refuse the procedure, in which case they would face an additional three to five years in prison.

Senate Bill 371 by Senate President Pro Tempore Regina Barrow, a Baton Rouge Democrat, received bipartisan support in the Legislature.

As Landry signed SB 371 in a ceremony at the Louisiana State Capitol, he sat beside Barrow and state Rep. Delisha Boyd, D-New Orleans.

“This is a method for us to protect our children,” said Boyd, who proposed a bill this year that would have established vasectomies as a form of punishment for sex offenders. House Bill 166 passed the House but then stalled in a Senate committee, failing to make it to Landry’s desk.