Sex offenders could face chemical castration

As part of a plan to end overcrowding in prisons sex offenders face chemical castration which supressing the sexual drive, this could be rolled out across prison in England.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is planning to introduce mandatory chemical castration for the most serious sexual predators, the Guardian reports.

The former justice secretary David Gauke who is leading an independent sentencing review has recommended reforms to ensure there is space in prisons for the most dangerous criminals.

Prisoners who behave well will only serve a third of their sentence and judges will be provided with greater flexibility to impose punishments such as driving bans.

Sentences of less than a year will be axed with the exception of domestic abuse cases, and these proposals made by Gauke could free up 9,800 spaces across prisons in England.

Gauke said it is “worthwhile” exploring chemical castration to cut offending.

“One of our recommendations is that we think that we should continue to explore this, this is drugs that reduces sexual desire,” Mr Gauke told Sky News.

“It’s not appropriate for every sexual offender, and the evidence base for this does need to be built up.”

He added, “I’m not going to claim it’s the answer for everything. This is about reducing the risk of reoffending in future.

“There are some sex offenders who want to reduce their desires. And if we can explore this, I think that is something that’s worthwhile.”

The review chairman said, “The scale of the crisis we are in cannot be understated.

“Overcrowded prisons are leading to dangerous conditions for staff and contributing to high levels of reoffending.

“These recommendations, which span the entirety of the justice system, are focused not only on bringing the prison population under control but ultimately reducing reoffending and ensuring victims are protected.”