When a Rapist Prefers a Death Sentence Than Being Castrated

Is chemical castration really effective to deter sexual offenders?

I just read about the rapist of nine children who was sentenced to more than ten years in prison and a chemical castration. However, as reported, he admitted that he preferred the death penalty to the castration!

He feels objected to the verdict with a thinking that the effect of castration lasts for a lifetime. “I prefer to be sentenced to twenty years in prison or executed to death in accordance with my crime,” he said to the local news.

I think he said that, was based on his less knowledge about what is a chemical castration. He would have thought it was the end of his world if he got castrated!

So, was it true what he said that death is still better thing than chemical castration?

From my research, chemical castration is the act of inserting anti-androgenic drugs into the body, either through pills or injections. The goal is to reduce the production of the testosterone hormone which regulates many things, including sexual function in the body. Thus, the sexual arousal is decreased.

Apart from affecting sexual desire, chemical castration can also cause various reactions in the body. The negative reactions is a muscle mass deficiency that would make the body’s chances of accumulating fat rises. This increases the risk of blood vessel and heart disease.

Also, it’s said that anti-androgens can impact premature aging, because anti-androgen chemicals are able to reduce bone density, so the risk of osteoporosis increases.

So, although the rape actor’s perception of the castration sounds naive, from those explanations, still, a chemical castration has bad effects for the perpetrator.

But, is it true that it will give lifelong effect?

As explained above, chemical castration is a procedure performed to reduce the production of testosterone in the male body.

However, from my research online, unlike the physical castration, the effects of chemical castration are not permanent. If the use of anti-androgens either in injection or pill form has been stopped, the purposed effect will be stopped too and the testosterone level and other sexual function will return to its original state, including his arousal and erectile abilities.

So, the only way to maintain the effects of chemical castration is by taking it constantly.

So, is chemical castration effective in deterring the sexual offenders?

As said before, chemical castration is not permanent or temporary. This means that if it is stopped, the rapist, the pedophiles and other sexual predators will regain their sexual function, both in the form of sexual desire and erectile capacity. And it is feared that they will potentially couldn’t hold their strong desires to do sexual offenses again.

Some sexologists have warned that sexual arousal is not solely caused by the testosterone. Although chemical castration can reduce the sex hormone to very low levels, there are other psychological factors that also can contribute to sexual abuse. There are sexual exitement and satisfaction that men had experienced which will always arouse passion.

A Professor of the Faculty of Medicine remarked that;

“Implementing chemical castration against perpetrators of sexual violators is still questionable. Although sexual arousal can be suppressed, the memory of sexual experiences cannot be erased. His desire is still there, regardless of whether he is capable or not!”

He said there has never been a report that chemical castration has a more deterrent effect on sexual offenders than any other punishment that is quite severe, because previous sexual experiences have been recorded in the brain.

Frances Crook, a criminologist from England has also quoted a statement that;

“The perpetrators of sexual crimes are not only motivated by sexual desire, but also violence and domination. “The chemical use has no effect on that behavior. Some men may commit different forms of criminal behavior to the victim if he is unable to commit sexual acts due to the castration.” His desire is still there, regardless of whether he is capable or not!”

My thoughts

And in my opinion as an ordinary person, honestly the thing when I hear the word of castration, I only have a thought about the cut of the vital male organ (the testicles).

This is a reminiscent of ancient TV series of Chinese emperor I ever watched which had a palace eunuch characters in it. Their vital tools were castrated, so that they did not have any lust and also expected to not have any other negative desires.

The main purpose of castration was related to their duties as the most trusted people in the private area of ​​the emperor, the empress and his concubines.

Still remains in my memory, even though his passion for love and sex was gone, the eunuch still did the criminal attempts to seize the power from the emperor!

So, back again to chemical castration which is only temporary to reduce libido. If the perpetrator hasn’t been given the chemical, will he be able to restrain his lust?

Permanent ones like the eunuchs can still become evil, what about those wicked person in nature who are only given a temporary punishment? It’s not a guarantee that they will not do the sexual crimes again.

Or, if the castration will still be applied some moments after he’s being free from prison, will they obey the rule to keep castrated regularly?

Another case is, while undergoing a sentence of castration, the sex predators may not think about sex anymore. But when he is declared free to return to society, can anyone guarantee that his desire for sex will emerge wildly again?

People who have experienced how to make love, tend to want to repeat it again. For someone whose lust has been forcibly suppressed while serving a sentence, the possibility to vent his lust doing the same behaviour would be greater.

Actually this goes back to each individual. Some would feel deterrent and be good person, even without castration. But I think chemical castration effectivity is still in doubt.

This is true because as has been stated above, sexual orientation is not due to hormonal factors, but because of psychological imbalance or mental sickness.

There is also an issue, the judges ordered the doctors to do the chemical castration to that phedophile guy, and the doctors still refuse to undertake the task.

Yes, the main problem is that the doctor’s duty is to help sufferers, not to run a punishment, so this is being debated now because this action can only be done by injection which coincidentally has to be done by medical personnel regularly.

In my opinion, it’s just castrating, right? His wild lust for children will not go away. Castration only limits his ability to commit rape, he may use other means to satisfy his desires.

So personally, unlike the permanent one, this is also useless because the prisoner has to be given injections periodically, and who is responsible for taking action on an ongoing basis? Doesn’t this mean that it burdens the country either?

I think goverment should find another scheme that wilI guarantee the child predators will think twice about doing their crime.

It is better if an assessment is carried out by a group of doctors/experts who can attest whether the suspect can still be helped psychologically and his sexual orientation can still be improved or he has acute mental iniquity which will harm any children or their other “preys”.

If the recommendation that comes telling that he can’t be helped, then only the judge will decide whether to be imprisoned for the rest of his life, permanent castration or the death sentence.

Don’t let this kind of person (who have acute evilness) get short sentences, because when they’re free, they would do it again.

Thank you for reading. You can also give your opinion in comment section below.

Thanks to Larry G. Maguire and Storymaker editors