Castration and Sex Offenders

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Castration and Sex Offenders Castration and Sex Offenders Laura L. Broussard LeTourneau University Abstract In this paper I will discuss the controversy of castrating sex offenders surgically and chemically, as a form of punishment. I will also exam the history and compare the difference between chemical and surgical castration. My discussion wills also exam the legal aspects of the castration process. CASTRATION AND SEX OFFENDERS Sex Offenders Sex offenders have been a serious problem for our legal system at all levels. There are 43,000 inmates in prison for sexual offenses, while each year in this country over 510,000 children are victims of sexual assault. The statistics does not convey the severity of the situation. Each year 510,000 children have their childhoods destroyed, and are faced with dealing with sexual assault for their entire lives. Sadly, many of those assaults are perpetrated by people who have already been through the correctional system, only to victimize again. Sex offenders, as a class of criminals, are nine times more likely to repeat their crimes. The high recidivism rate is a problem for the public, potential victims, and the legal system. It would be irresponsible for the legal system to ignore the criminal class known as sex offenders. Sex offenders as a class of criminals are subject to a recurring physiological urge that requires the use of effective restraints that would curb the habitual repetition of episodes producing the harmful consequences to the public. Meaning of Castration “Castration (also referred to as: gelding, spaying, neutering, fixing, orchctomy, ophorectomy) is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries. The term "castration" generally refers to males, but may occasionally refer
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