In a bid to lower overcrowding in prisons, the British government is considering whether to make chemical castration mandatory for certain sex offenders serving time in their correctional system.
Drawing on recommendations from an Independent Sentencing Review conducted by former Conservative Party Justice Secretary David Gauke, Britain’s Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood (Labour Party) told Parliament on Thursday that expanding a chemical castration pilot program in that country’s prison system is among a number of reforms she is looking at to manage the prison population.
“I asked the review to consider how we manage sex offenders. The review has recommended we continue a pilot of so-called medication to manage problematic sexual arousal. I will go further with a national roll out beginning in two regions covering 20 prisons and I am exploring whether mandating the approach is possible,” Mahmood told the British Parliament.
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“Of course, it is vital that this approach is taken alongside psychological interventions that target other causes of offending like asserting power and control.”
While pedophiles will be chemically castrated before their release, rapists won’t be, according to the U.K. Times.
Gauke notes in his Independent Sentencing Review that of the approximately 88,000 convicts in Britain’s prison system, some 21% were adults serving time for sexual offenses as of March.
“The Review has considered whether pharmaceutical options which suppress libido — commonly referred to as ‘chemical suppression’ — or those which reduce sexual thoughts, could be used to provide targeted treatment for specific sex offenders,” the report said.
Gauke explained that chemical castration is currently only used as part of a “psychologically informed” service called the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway “for offenders with complex needs and who are likely to satisfy the diagnosis of a ‘personality disorder.’”
While highlighting the use of chemical castration internationally, Gauke recommended that the expansion of chemical castration for certain classes of sex offenders should be evidence-based because it is not an effective response for all offenders, such as rapists.
“The Review acknowledges that sexual offences including rape are driven by motives such as power, control, and aggression, rather than sexual preoccupation. In many such cases, chemical suppressants will not be a relevant or viable course of treatment. Only medical specialists can prescribe these medications, and they should only be used in conjunction with other psycho-social treatment and support, for example, to aid individuals to engage fully with these interventions,” Gauke noted in the report.
He highlighted the use of chemical castration in other European countries such as Germany, Denmark and Poland. In Germany and Denmark, chemical castration is administered on a voluntary basis among sex offenders, while in Poland it’s mandatory for some offenders.
In the U.S., several states have laws that allow chemical or surgical castration of sex offenders. They include: California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin. In June 2024, Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law making the state the first where judges can order surgical castration for prisoners convicted of committing certain aggravated sex crimes — including rape, incest and molestation — against a child younger than 13, The Associated Press reported. The law became effective on Aug. 1, 2024.
The former Justice Secretary explained that, for policies in England and Wales, “Understanding how other jurisdictions manage the ethical and practical implications of using chemical suppression in offender treatment will be particularly important to consider, as gaining valid, informed consent to a course of treatment is a key tenet of medical law and ethics.”
“Before any decision is made to establish further services for chemical suppression across England and Wales, services must be piloted on a small scale with evaluations produced. Various considerations, such as side-effects and potential ramifications for victims, will need to be examined,” Gauke added.
In her address to Parliament, Mahmood says she has no plans to be “squeamish” on the issue and is intent on achieving results.
“For many years there’s a pilot that has been sort of trundling along and nobody has shown much interest in it, including any of my predecessors. Tory justice secretaries have just sort of let it carry on. I’m not willing to do that. I’m not squeamish about taking these further measures,” she said.
“It’s why we’re going to have a national roll out of this program. I will make sure that that is what happens. It’s why I’m starting with expanding it to further regions, including prisoners in 20 further prisons, so that we can build the evidence base and make sure that we are using every tool at our disposal that can cut reoffending.”
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