So much for rehabilitation

Yes, you're right, Minerva.
Its difficult to know what's right for a case like this.

I heard on the radio yesterday, on the subject of the taxi driver who assaulted so many women, the suggestion of chemical castration. I had never heard of it but is it something that should be considered for serial abusers? The speaker said that it was something the public would not be told had been done but why not? Surely it would bring some feeling of security for those worried about the release of some people. Are there people so badly damaged that this is the only answer?

You mean like was done to Alan Turing?

Sexual attack is about power not sex. Above and beyond the fact that I would find something like so called chemical castration very worrying - do we next go for euthanasia for all the mentally disabled? - I don't see why it would work. If you want to have power over women you don't need you own penis to do it and I would have thought the resentment about the treatment might well lead to far worse treatment of women.

Too dangerous to consider, castrate those with low I.Q,s , with disabilities , how many innocent people would be included ? The world has had one Hitler

As I understand it (although I am open to being corrected) chemical castration is done on a voluntary basis and involves the offender continuing to take pills or injections for life. I can't see how it would work with someone who is such a prolific offender as the taxi driver. Like others I am also concerned who else it would be considered OK to "treat" this way.

There’s varying practices - in some countries if they agree to it, they spend less time in prison. The drugs have well known side effects as well and there must be an interesting medical ethics debate about the prescribing of medication in circumstances like this - similar to the debate about administering lethal injections in prison. I can’t see this being accepted here - but who knows? I expect there’ll be an online petition soon to support it

My concern is not just what it could lead to - although that is indeed very concerning. It could be completely ineffective but that decisions could be made to release someone into the community based on them having received the treatment. This, to me, is more of a mental health problem that led to a criminal one than just a crime.

I do wonder just how voluntary it is OW, when you are in prison and this may be a way out.

GG2 I don’t agree that sexual attacks are always about power. There is evidence that this is a very complex area and, while power might well be behind a proportion of such acts, there are other causes and reasons worth consideration.

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