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Time to modernize sex offender treatments
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July 25th, 2007 issue

Sex offenders in the Czech Republic and Slovakia are the only ones in Council of Europe countries who can be surgically castrated as punishment for their crimes.

It’s a dubious distinction, and one that recently drew the attention of The Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the Council’s human rights directorate. (See story, page A1.)
It’s also a punishment that seems extremely Draconian in the modern-day world, even if the number who actually undergo the procedure is small. Fewer than 10 men were surgically castrated in the country in 2005, according to statistics gathered from five psychiatric hospitals. That same year, a reported 40 men received libido suppressants, a procedure often called chemical castration.
Much larger and more advanced countries including the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States use such chemical procedures. While chemical treatment has not been without controversy, at least it’s reversible. Surgical castration is not, and even one instance would be enough to draw huge cries of protest from rights groups in other countries.
Treating sexual offenders is a problem the world over, and no one has come up with totally effective and acceptable measures. The Czech system ostensibly requires the consent of candidates for castration, but still has troubling aspects.
For one thing, Czech officials say offenders who are castrated are often mentally disabled or alcoholics, raising the issue of whether they’re competent to make such a grave decision. Some are also given the choice of surgical castration or life in confinement, raising the question of whether it’s truly a voluntary decision.
Officials have told the committee they will be reviewing the nation’s Health Act. That’s encouraging, but more needs to be done.
First, there should be a comprehensive reporting and evaluation system. Though officials were cooperative in responding to the committee’s questions and concerns, statistics about castration had to be collected from separate hospitals. Government officials should be keeping comprehensive and public statistics of sex offenses on an ongoing basis, tracking who the offenders are, how they are punished and how many re-offend.

This last point is particularly significant. There is simply no way to know how effective chemical and surgical castration (or, for that matter, any treatment method) may be without accurate, long-term recidivism rates.

It’s also important to keep the public informed when sex offenders are released. This is a common practice in a number of Western countries, where communities often band together to keep sex offenders from living in certain neighborhoods or near schools and playgrounds.
As part of its review of the Health Act, the government should formalize the oversight of all castration procedures. Czech officials say their sexologists are world-renowned, which may be true. But that’s no guarantee of a fair and humane treatment process.
Last, but most importantly, it’s time to get the victims and their families involved. Sex crimes can destroy a person’s mental health and self-confidence, sometimes for life. Giving them a say in the evaluation and treatment process could be therapeutic for everyone.


Other articles in Opinion (25/07/2007):

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