Pedophilia and sexual deviance are disturbingly widespread. A 2012 report found that more than half of all victims of sexual abuse were under the age of 14, while teens between the age of 16 and 19 were three and a half times more likely to suffer some form of sexual abuse. No one disagrees that pedophilia is a horrific phenomenon. But what to do with the pedophiles themselves? That’s a point of contention. With sex offender laws more vigilant than ever, you would think that once an offender is caught, his days of abuse are over. Yet a shocking preventative measure is returning to the table: castration. Both prisons and prisoners themselves are choosing different forms of castration to make sure that pedophiles never strike again. Here’s what you should know about this controversial safeguard.
A ballsy bargain. As sex offender laws are cracking down, convicted offenders are choosing surgical and chemical castration to cut their prison sentence. In 1999, a Florida man received a shorter prison sentence after being castrated. In Illinois, Ohio and Arkansas, repeat offenders have requested or received castrations to increase their chances of a reduced sentence.
Why castration? Castration has some judges and state officials convinced that it can lessen a sex offender’s desire to commit crimes. By removing or chemically stifling the testes, the body stops producing 95 percent of its testosterone, the hormone many believe is responsible for violent sexual behavior.
Consenting to castration. Those opposed to castration claim that it’s impossible for a prisoner to consent to the procedure. There’s no way for prison officials to know if a sex offender actually wants the procedure or just wants to get out of jail early. There’s also the question of whether or not motivation even matters, if the castration will successfully stunt their dangerous urges.
Does it work? A German study found that castration lowers a sex offender/s rate of recidivism, or likelihood of relapse, from 46 percent to 3 percent. But other studies show that a percentage of people who receive surgical castration do actually retain sexual function. Castrated men can also reverse the effects of their surgery through testosterone patches and gels.
California is one of seven states that still requires civil confinement (psychological hospitalization) of sex offenders after their prison sentence is up. It’s also one of the few states that mandates castration of repeat offenders before they’re released. At least three US sex offenders have walked free from state mental institutions after receiving this surgery.
Not a catch-all solution. When hormones and sex drive are the main factors behind a sex crime, castration is an effective solution. But medical experts say that in sex offenders who are motivated by alcohol, drug abuse or other psychological problems, reducing testosterone wouldn’t necessarily end their criminal behavior.
The fate of an offender. Arrested sex offenders must face incarceration, counseling, and registration. They are placed on a three-tiered scale, depending on how likely they are to act again, 3 being the most likely. Their rating determines where they can live and work. The shame that many sex offenders feel prevents them from seeking any treatment.
A preventative measure. Many sex offenders lament their condition. Choosing to be castrated is their only escape from an uncontrollable urge. Some clinics actually give castrations to unconvicted pedophiles who want to curb their paraphilia before they act on it.
Self-control or self-harm? Many sex offenders opt for castration because it can put an end to their own suffering. In one particularly gruesome case, a man convicted of molesting three girls put an end to his own libido with a razor blade. He claimed that it freed him “of the deviant sexual fantasies [he] used to have about young girls.”
Chemical castration. Surgical castration is not the only method used on sex offenders. Doctors also use hormonal injections like the birth control shot Depo-Provera, or the cancer treatment Lupron. In Colorado, prison officials are using antidepressants to alleviate deviant sexual desires.
Side effects. Chemical castration has its own slew of side effects. A chemically castrated man can gain body fat while losing bone density. Extended treatment could result in heart disease and osteoporosis. The normal consistency for chemical castration is one injection a month. Over time, these injections could add up.
It’s expensive. Lupron injections cost $800 dollars a month, not including doctor’s visits and tests. An offender will also receive routine blood tests to ensure the treatment is working. Oh, and then there’s the psychiatric counseling that usually comes with their castration treatment.
Cut it out. The American Civil Liberties Union has rallied against surgical castration as “cruel and unusual punishment.” But while many civil rights organizations view it as an archaic, barbaric surgery, prisons are seeing a decrease in pedophilia because of it.
Group therapy. Many American sex offenders participate in a program called the Good Lives Model. This training session covers personal responsibility, sexual-impulse control and empathy. While this treatment is important in teaching dangerous paraphiliacs to control themselves, most people can’t wait for offenders to learn self-control.
Castrate the world. Chemical castration of sex offenders is currently used throughout the United States, Portugal, Poland, Moldova, Macedonia, Estonia, Israel, Australia, India and Russia, just to name a few. Only some of these countries permit surgical castration, and in cases like the Czech Republic, there is doubt as to how consensual these surgeries are.
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