Latest news with #chemicalcastration
The Guardian
28-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Chemical castration and unsound ethics
Medical experts say they'll refuse to implement mandatory chemical castration, and one states: 'Doctors are not agents of social control. It would be ethically unsound to use medication to reduce risk rather than to treat a medical condition' (Report, 22 May). Yet in psychiatry, social control is routinely exercised, and drugs are often prescribed not to alleviate suffering, but primarily to manage perceived risk. Sex offenders should not be given more ethical consideration and bodily autonomy than psychiatric DillonLondon I must take issue with Marilyn Rowley over the use of the semicolon (Letters, 26 May). Reading a sentence aloud with measured pauses will not cut the mustard; an essential prerequisite is a grasp of the difference between a phrase and a main clause. I pontificate as a retired pedagogical pedant who should get out BargeLudlow, Shropshire Marilyn Rowley's teacher gave bad advice about the colon. It has nothing to do with a long pause, but indicates that what follows will explain or enlarge upon what has just BulleyChalon-sur-Saône, France The latest campaign being fought in the letters page over the use of semicolons worries me: is this a case of colonic irritation?Francis MaccabeeLoughborough, Leicestershire In your quick crossword (26 May), 'Kiwi' was given as the answer to the clue 'Fuzzy green foodstuff – that flies!' Oh no it doesn't!Euan DunnGreat Eversden, Cambridgeshire Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Gisele Pelicot's daughter opens up on her thoughts about chemical castration for men like her rapist father
Gisele Pelicot 's daughter has revealed her thoughts on chemical castration, and said it could be a 'solution' for rapists like her father. Caroline Darian's 72-year-old mother Gisele was drugged and mercilessly raped by her husband Dominique Pelicot and dozens of men over a period of nine years. In December, 51 men were finally convicted in the lengthy drugging-and-rape trial that riveted France. Now, speaking to Sky's The Politics Hub in an emotional interview, Caroline told correspondent Ali Fortescue that the UK government 's plans to consider mandatory chemical castration for sex offenders could be 'part of the solution.' 'For my dad, its probably one part of the solution, because, you know, when you're at that level of nothing else you can do. 'So yeah, chemical castration is maybe one part of the solution.' Caroline's remarks come days after the Justice Secretary revealed that chemical castration for paedophiles and other sex offenders will be piloted in 20 prisons. Shabana Mahmood announced the move in the Commons after a sentencing review found the measure was 'worthwhile' as a way to reduce re-offending. Gisele Pelicot 's daughter has revealed her thoughts on chemical castration Speaking to Sky's The Politics Hub in an emotional interview, Caroline Darian told correspondent Ali Fortescue that the UK government 's plans to consider mandatory chemical castration for sex offenders could be 'part of the solution.' Chemical castration is voluntary in Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark, and some sex offenders actively seek it out. The process, currently being piloted in south-west England, includes taking two drugs, one to limit sexual thoughts and the other to reduce testosterone and limit libido. In a statement to the Commons last week, Ms Mahmood said: 'The review has recommended we continue a pilot of so-called medication to manage problematic sexual arousal. 'I will go further with a national rollout, beginning in two regions covering 20 prisons. And I am exploring whether mandating the approach is possible. 'Of course, it is vital that this approach is taken alongside psychological interventions that target other causes of offending, like asserting power and control.' The measure was part of a series of proposals from former justice secretary David Gauke to reform sentencing and ease overcrowding in British jails. Dominique Pelicot, and all but one of his co-defendants were convicted of sexually assaulting Gisele over a period of nearly a decade after he'd knocked her unconscious by lacing her food and drink with drugs. The other co-defendant was convicted of drugging and raping his own wife with Dominique Pelicot's help. Pelicot also took photos of his daughter Caroline naked while she slept. She is now pressing charges against her father, having accused him of drugging her and raping her too. Pelicot has repeatedly denied this. Opening up to Sky about the day her father was arrested, Caroline said: 'In that moment of my life I realised that I didn't [know] the [person] who raised me...I lost a part of me .I lost part of my foundation, part of my education and part of my childhood.' She also said that she 'never ever' thought her father would be capable of committing his horrific crimes, and explained how she had to 'stop loving him as a father.'
Sky News
27-05-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Gisele Pelicot's daughter says chemical castration 'could be part of the solution' for sex offenders
The daughter of Gisele Pelicot has suggested chemical castration could be "one part of the solution" when there is "nothing else you can do" for sex offenders - like her father. Caroline Darian's father Dominique Pelicot admitted repeatedly drugging and raping his wife Gisele between 2011 and 2020, and inviting dozens of other men to their home in southern France to do the same. Gisele decided to waive her right to anonymity to hold the trial of her husband and 50 other men in public, saying: "It is not for us to be ashamed, but for those men." Speaking to Ali Fortescue on The Politics Hub, Ms Darian said the UK government's plans to consider mandatory chemical castration could be "one part of the solution" for men like her father. She said: "It's probably one part of the solution because you know when you're at that level of crime, that level of criminal, there is nothing else you can do." Asked if she believed "men like your father" could be rehabilitated, Ms Darian said "no" and "never". For ten years, Pelicot repeatedly sedated his wife and invited strangers to abuse her after advertising sex with her on a French swinging website. Some denied the rape charges, claiming they believed Gisele had agreed to be drugged and was a willing participant in a sex game between the couple. But all the men charged were found guilty of at least one offence, with nearly all convicted of rape, after a trial that shocked France and made headlines around the world. The defendants were sentenced to a total of more than 400 years, with Pelicot being sentenced to 20 years in prison. Pelicot also took photos of his daughter Caroline semi-naked while she was asleep. Ms Darian is pressing charges against her father, having accused him of drugging and raping her. Pelicot has denied this. Speaking to French media, Beatrice Zavarro, Pelicot's lawyer, said Ms Darian's decision to press charges was "unsurprising". She added that prosecutors had said there were insufficient "objective elements" to accuse Pelicot of raping and using chemical submission on Ms Darian. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said last week that she will pursue "a nationwide rollout" of a scheme being piloted in southwest England to use medication to suppress the sexual drive of sex offenders. 6:02 It came after an independent review, led by the former justice secretary David Gauke, was commissioned by the government amid an overcrowding crisis in prisons in England and Wales. The review recommended that chemical castration "may assist in management of suitable sex offenders both in prison and in the community". Ms Mahmood said she is "exploring whether mandating the approach is possible". The trial is currently voluntary.
Telegraph
25-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Stop saying ‘chemical castration' – you'll upset the paedophiles
Probation staff have been told not to use the phrase chemical castration in conversations with paedophiles and sex offenders in case it upsets them. Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, announced this week that 20 prisons would trial voluntary chemical castration. Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, she described the process as providing 'medication to manage problematic sexual arousal'. It has now been reported that probation officers have been told to use the same phrasing when speaking to sex offenders. A source told The Sun: 'We have been told we can't use the word chemical castration when talking to sex offenders and instead have to say medication to manage problematic sexual arousal. 'We were told it's in case the word castration upsets them – it beggars belief.' A Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesperson said: 'This phrase is simply the medical term for this treatment.' Mahmood has signalled the pilot scheme is the first step towards potentially changing the law to force offenders to take the medication, telling MPs: 'I am exploring whether mandating the approach is possible.' Alex Davies-Jones, the justice minister, suggested prisoners could be forced to do so in the same way as when patients are sectioned under the Mental Health Act to enable doctors to administer the drugs. 'Exploring every avenue' 'We are exploring every avenue possible,' she said. Another option would be to make chemical castration a condition of freed sex offenders' licences and send them back to jail if they refuse. Chemical castration is already being piloted in prisons in south-west England, where 34 prisoners a month receive sexual-suppression drugs. The scheme is voluntary, as is such treatment in Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark. It is mandatory in Poland, Kazakhstan and some US states. The MoJ pointed to research showing that the drugs can cut reoffending rates by up to 60 per cent. Problematic sexual arousal can be reduced by chemical suppressants and prescribed medication, but it would not be relevant for some sex offenders such as rapists who are driven by power and control, rather than sexual preoccupation. However, the MoJ is facing a backlash from doctors as it presses ahead. Prof Don Grubin, who advised the Government on the initial trial, said he was opposed to mandatory prescribing as it goes against long-standing medical principles of consent. 'If you are talking about mandatory prescribing, there would be a lot of resistance from doctors because you would be asking them to prescribe not to patients but to reduce risk for society. So they become agents of social control, which is something we have always resisted,' Prof Grubin said.
Fox News
25-05-2025
- Health
- Fox News
British government considers chemical castration in plan to reduce prison population
A British government minister says she's "not squeamish" about the idea of chemical castration for male sex offenders, and wants to make it mandatory. The UK is considering a range of options from a new report, which aims to cut the country's prison population by 10,000 inmates to help alleviate chronic overcrowding. "Problematic sexual arousal and preoccupation can be reduced via chemical suppressants and other medications, which can be prescribed for individuals who have committed a sexual offense under certain circumstances," the new report states. Prisons in the south-west of England have been involved in a pilot program of chemical castrations since 2002, and Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood from the ruling Labour Party told lawmakers in parliament on Thursday that the program would expand to 20 more prisons in two other regions of England. Prisoners would be given two drugs as part of the treatment: one limits sexual thoughts, while the other reduces testosterone and "problematic sexual arousal." Inmates would also have ongoing counseling to treat their psychological issues, such as a desire for sexual power and control. One recent study found that reoffending rates were up to 60% lower for prisoners who had received the treatment. "For some, offending relates to power, but for another subset of offenders, the combination of chemical suppressants and psychological interventions can, we believe, have a big and positive impact," Minister Mahmood told parliament. Initially, the option for chemical castration treatment would be only voluntary, and medical ethicists say it could be a problem to force doctors to treat an inmate who doesn't want to have it done. In Britain, there is a strict tradition of informed medical consent where a patient can refuse medical treatment, and a doctor can't ordinarily be forced to carry it out. Sex offenders make up a significant percentage of the prison population in England, and at the end of March, more than 20% of inmates were incarcerated on sex crimes charges. The new report cautions that chemical castration "should never be used as a risk management tool or standalone rehabilitative offer, and it is only appropriate for a limited number of sex offenders". Chemical castration is already being used in some other European prisons to treat sex offenders. Authorities in Sweden have been carrying out limited clinical trials on volunteers at a Stockholm prison, while in Germany and Denmark it is more widely used but still on a voluntary basis. In Poland, courts can pass a sentence of mandatory chemical castration for some categories of sex-offense prisoners. Thursday's report, written by a former government minister from the Conservative Party, also made four dozen recommendations to try and ease prison overcrowding. These include giving fewer people jail sentences under 12 months and encouraging other types of punishment instead, such as community service or fines; developing new policies for early release with good behavior for inmates, and tagging all offenders who committed crimes of abuse against women and girls. The opposition Conservative Party has criticized the new report, saying that by scrapping shorter prison sentences the government "is effectively decriminalizing crimes like burglary, theft and assault." "This is a gift to criminals, who will be free to offend with impunity," the party's justice spokesman Robert Jenrick told reporters. However, the report has been broadly welcomed by the Howard League for Penal Reform, the world's oldest prison charity. "The government is taking an important step forward by accepting most of the recommendations from this important review," says Chief Executive Andrea Coomber, but she cautioned that "the prisons crisis will not be solved by half-measures." Senior police officers have cautioned that if there will be fewer prisoners behind bars, they need more resources to manage the risk that offenders pose outside of jail.
