Editing Castration (section)

==Prevention of crime==
Chemical or surgical castration is practiced in many countries for people convicted of sex crimes as a prerequisite for their release from prison. The castration may be voluntary or mandated. The assumption is that it prevents future crimes. Reports are available from American and European countries for over 80 years (chemical for circa 30).<ref>{{cite news |work=The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/06/alabama-chemical-castration/591226/ |title=Alabama Moves to State-Ordered Castration |access-date=31 January 2020}}</ref> The effectiveness and ethics of this treatment are heavily debated.

A ''temporary'' "chemical castration" has been studied and developed as a preventive measure and [[punishment]] for several repeated [[sex crime]]s, such as rape or other [[sexual assault|sexually related violence]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f02/web1/kamlin.html|title=Chemical Castration: The Benefits and Disadvantages Intrinsic to Injecting Male Pedophiliacs with Depo-Provera|author=Katherine Amlin|access-date=13 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070706075300/http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f02/web1/kamlin.html|archive-date=6 July 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/04-97/04-27-97/a09wn032.htm|title='Chemical castration' OK'd for Montana inmates|publisher= N.Y. Times News Service|year=1997}}</ref> Where homosexuality has been criminalised or treated as a mental illness, chemical castration has been used on gay men, as in the case of [[Alan Turing]].<ref name="PardonPetition">{{cite web | title = Grant a pardon to Alan Turing | url = https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23526 | date = 6 December 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120110183548/http://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23526 | archive-date = 10 January 2012}}</ref>

In modern times, the [[Czech Republic]] practices surgical castration of convicted sex offenders. According to the reports compiled by Council of Europe, a human-rights forum, the central European country physically castrated at least 94 prisoners in the 10 years up to April 2008. The Czech Republic defends this procedure as voluntary and effective.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cpt.coe.int/documents/cze/2009-02-05-eng.htm |title=Council of Europe report on the Czech Republic |publisher=Cpt.coe.int |date=5 February 2009}}</ref> According to Dr. Martin Hollý, director of the Psychiatric Hospital Bohnice in Prague, none of the nearly 100 sex offenders who had been physically castrated had committed further offences.<ref>{{cite news|author=Dan Bilefsky |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/world/europe/11castrate.html |title=Europeans Debate Castration of Sex Offenders |location=Europe;Czech Republic |work=The New York Times |date=10 March 2009}}</ref> One serial offender stated that being castrated was the "best decision" he ever made: "On the one hand you have to protect the potential victims and on the other hand I wanted to be protected from myself, I wanted to live like a normal person."<ref name="ukadvisor"/> Don Grubin, a professor at [[Newcastle University]]'s Institute of Neuroscience who also runs a chemical castration program backed by the UK's [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]], was initially opposed to physical castration. After visiting the Czech Republic, however, he agreed that some form of castration might be of benefit to some sex offenders.<ref name="ukadvisor">{{cite news|author=Whitehead, Tom |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5351019/Sex-offences-advisor-backs-castration.html |title=Sex offences advisor backs castration |date=20 May 2009 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320074135/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/5351019/Sex-offences-advisor-backs-castration.html |archive-date=20 March 2011 }}</ref><ref name="cnre">{{cite news |url=http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/europe/cutting%20the%20numbers%20reoffending%20%20/3158772 | title = Cutting the numbers re-offending? |date=20 May 2009 |publisher=[[Channel 4]]}}</ref>

In 2020, the [[Pakistan]]i-controlled section of [[Kashmir]] passed a bill allowing for convicted child sex abusers to be chemically or surgically castrated.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/portada/pakistani-kashmir-approves-castration-for-pedophilia/50000260-4287072|title=Pakistani Kashmir approves castration for pedophilia|publisher=EFE|date=July 2, 2020}}</ref>

In 2020, a motion calling for surgical castration of convicted rapists was defeated in the [[Nigerian House of Representatives]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://allafrica.com/stories/202006050186.html|title = Nigeria: House of Reps Rejects Castration as Punishment for Rapists|date = 5 June 2020}}</ref> However, there remains support for the policy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/403148-rapists-should-be-castrated-gbajabiamila.html|title = Rapists should be castrated—Gbajabiamila &#124; Premium Times Nigeria|date = 15 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/08/kano-monarch-okays-castration-for-rapists/|title=Kano Monarch okays castration for rapists|date=24 August 2020}}</ref>

In 2024, Louisiana became the first U.S. state to allow judges to impose castration on sex offenders.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cline |first=Sara |date=2024-06-21 |title=Louisiana Legalizes Surgical Castration For Child Molesters |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ap-us-castration-law-louisiana_n_6675f7eee4b00383ac7d9fd8 |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref> Previously, in several states, convicted offenders could choose castration, including where it was a prerequisite for parole. However, should the person choose to remain in prison, they would not be forced to be castrated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chandler |first=Kim |date=2019-06-16 |title=Alabama orders 'chemical castration' of some child molesters |url=https://apnews.com/article/77cd155339744a9396399ae641096230 |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

===Criticism===
Some criminologists argue that the reported lower recidivism rates in castrated male sex offenders compared to non-castrated ones does not conclusively prove that it is a biological effect of castration, but might be explained by other factors. One suggested factor from [[game theory]] is that men who are willing to accept castration to get a shorter prison sentence are those who value freedom from prison higher than men who are not willing to pay the price for freedom in the form of their testicles. This hypothesis could explain their apparent lower recidivism as a result of working harder to conceal the evidence for their crimes, and argue that their parole is a danger of releasing offenders who only hide their crimes more efficiently and are not any less likely to commit new crimes. These criminologists also argue that police investigators treating castrated men as less likely to reoffend than non-castrated men may cause an investigation bias and [[self-fulfilling prophecy]].<ref>Christine Horne, Michael J. Lovaglia (2008). "Experiments in Criminology and Law: A Research Revolution"</ref><ref>Lorie A. Fridell (2016). "Producing Bias-Free Policing: A Science-Based Approach"</ref>