Society tends to see sex crimes as some of the most serious, often because it does irreparable mental harm to the victim. One type of punishment for sex offenders is chemical castration to prevent any further sexual urges.

History

During the early part of the twentieth century, chemical castration was seen as an accepted practice for certain crimes, such as sexual deviancy, according to Florida State University. Chemical castration fell out of favor after World War II, but new drugs that could specifically target the male libido brought it back into the fold as a viable punishment during the 1980s.

Identification

Chemical castration actually works by giving the offender medicine or an injection to reduce the sex drive, reports USA Today.

Fun Fact

Currently, most chemical castrations use Depo-Provera, a female contraceptive that lowers testosterone in men, reports The Guardian.

Criticism

Currently, chemical castration is only considered for sex crimes. However, most sex crimes are not for sexual gratification and, thus reducing the sex drive may not prevent further offenses, according to the Guardian (See References 3). Second, a person could simply stop taking the medication to gain back their libido, reports USA Today (See References 2).

Potential

Chemical castration brings up a host of ethical questions, and it may be seen as inhumane in the near future. Prime Minister of England Gordon Brown, for example, apologized in 2009 for the chemical castration of World War II codebreaker Alan Turning over 50 years ago, according to The Guardian.

Source:

Florida State University; A Brief History of Chemical Castration in the United States

USA Today; Castration often fails to halt offenders; Wickham, DeWayne; 2001

The Guardian; What's chemical castration?; Boseley, Sarah; 2007

Resource:

The Guardian; PM's apology to codebreaker Alan Turing; 2009