Can Castration stop child Rapists?

By John B. Monteiro
Bellevision Media Network

21 March 2012: Many commit the same crime with a very different result. One bears a cross for his crime; another, a crown. – Decimus Junius Juvenal, Satirical Latin poet, Italy (AD 40- 125).

 

Successful crime is dignified with the name of virtue; the good become the slaves of the impious; might makes right; fear silences the power of the law. – Lucius Seneca, Roman philosopher and moralist, Spain (BC 4- AD 65).

 

Crime and corresponding punishment have been subjects of discussion from the start of civilization. As the two quotations above imply some criminals get punished and others go scot-free – and are even crowned. Then there is discussion about the severity of punishment, including the exclusion of death penalty from the armory of punishments. There are calls for new or innovative types of punishment. One such – castration of rapists – as recently reported from England.

 

Around 100 paedophiles have undergone chemical castration in a bid to stop them offending, according to Mathew Holehouse writing in Daily Telegraph (13-3-12), London. The paedophiles volunteered for a course of drugs designed to reduce their testosterone levels to that of a prepubescent boy in order to curb their libido.

 

The treatment is being piloted by psychiatrists at HMP Whatton, Nottingham, a specialist category C prison which holds male sex offenders. The drug, leuprorelin, which is marketed as Prostap, inhibits the production of testosterone, which is linked to the high sex drives in paedophiles. The programme is run by the Prison Service and the Department of Health and has been co-ordinated by criminal psychiatrist Professor Don Grubin.

 

He said:  "I have referred around 100 people for treatment. It is still ongoing but I do not have anything to do with the treatment. They come to me in the first instance to see whether the treatment is appropriate for them. We know the treatment works to reduce sexual arousal and fantasies." Evidence from Scandanavia suggests chemical castration can cut the rates of reoffending from 40 per cent to 5 per cent.

 

Guidance on the medication says it should be used for those with compulsive or impulsive urges to offend, those who have difficulties in controlling sexual arousal, intrusive sexual fantasies or urges, sadism or other "dangerous" tendencies such as necrophilia.But it stresses: "It is anticipated only small numbers of sex offenders will benefit from these treatments."

 

Chemical castration is mandatory for child sex offenders in Poland, Russia and certain US states. Guidance on the medication says it should be used for those with compulsive or impulsive urges to offend, those who have difficulties in controlling sexual arousal, intrusive sexual fantasies or urges, sadism or other "dangerous" tendencies such as necrophilia.  But it stresses: "It is anticipated only small numbers of sex offenders will benefit from these treatments."

 

Chemical Castration was recently proposed to the government by a Delhi judge. But, first the facts.

 

Peeved over the spurt in rape and sexual abuse cases, a Delhi court has suggested, on April 30, 2011, to the government to explore the possibility of allowing imposition of chemical and surgical castration as punishment to serial sex offenders. In a judgment that sparked debate across the country, Additional Sessions Judge Kamini Lau pointed out that such practice is prevailing in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Israel.

 

“In many developed countries, death penalty applies in cases of aggravated rape indicating the severity with which this crime has been viewed. In fact, many developed countries like USA, UK, Germany, Israel have experimented with alternatives such as surgical and chemical castration of rapists and molesters, particularly serial offenders, child molesters and pedophiles,” the court said.

 

California was the first US state to specify the use of chemical castration as a punishment for child molestation, following the passage of a modification to Section 645 of the California Penal Code in 1996, the court said. “This law stipulates that anyone convicted of child molestation with a minor less than 13 years of age may be treated with the drug depo provera if they are on parole, if it is their second offence, the offenders may not reject the treatment,” Lau said.

 

Besides California and Florida, at least seven other states, including Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin, have experimented with chemical castration. In Iowa, as in California and Florida, offenders may be sentenced to chemical castration in all cases involving serious sex offences. On June 25, 2008, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed Senate Bill 144, allowing judges to sentence convicted rapists to chemical castration.

 

Poland has passed a legislation for forcible chemical castration for child molesters coupled with psychic treatment during the term. Germany and Israel are other examples of the countries where voluntary chemical castration is a punishment for child rapists.

 

Similarly, Madoza, a province in Argentina passed a law in March 2010 which rules the use of chemical castration for rapist but they must voluntarily go for it.

 

In its order, the court also noted that sex offences were growing in the country which the administrators found difficult to handle. “Recent years have seen a spurt in molestation, rape and other sexual offences. Sexual predators moving around the city spare. Young girls are not safe even in their own families where fathers and brothers turn predators. Rape is a growing menace which the administration is finding hard to tackle. Even stringent punishments so prescribed under the law do not appear to be having any deterrence,” the court added.

 

The Delhi court’s proposal for castration of rapists comes against the backdrop of increasing menace of rapes and molestations. Delhi reported 489 cases of rape in 2010 and the figure for Mumbai was 189. New figures given by Delhi Police reveal that a woman is raped every 18 hours and molested every 14 hours in the capital. Not all the cases of rape are reported to the police for obvious reasons.

 

In the debate following the Delhi court ruling, there are supporters and opposers of the castration proposal. For instance, Bollywood actress Divya Dutta said: I think chemical castration should definitely be introduced in India. I totally support it – I strongly feel – rather than sending the rapist to jail and using other punishment.” But, politician Jaya Jaitley dubbed it an amateur idea. “I think it is not acceptable, it is very amateur way of thinking. It is just like cutting a thief’s hand after he is caught.”

 

Even if castration proposal is accepted, we have to look into its execution. We may have officials giving fake drugs against bribes and greedy doctors certifying castration. There may be drugs to reverse the chemical castration. Our experience with male and female sterilizations under the population control programmes support these reservations.

 

John B. Monteiro, author and journalist, is editor of his website www.welcometoreason.com (Interactive Cerebral Challenger) with provision for instant response. Try responding!