TECH

American state approves chemical castration for pedophiles

The Alabama Legislative Assembly in the southern United States has approved a law on Tuesday that requires chemical castration for convicted pedophiles.
The project is now in the hands of the governor, the Republican Kay Ivey, who must decide whether to ratify it or not. If sanctioned, the law will take effect three months after the signature.
The text requires chemical castration for pedophiles convicted of sex crimes against children under 13 years of age.
It is a requirement to get out of prison once your sentence is served. If the defendant refuses to go through castration, he runs the risk of remaining in jail.
The project's promoter, Rep. Steve Hurst, said the measure "may reduce the number" of child sexual abuse in the state.
"They marked a child for the rest of their lives and the punishment should be commensurate with the crime," the lawmaker said in an interview with WIAT, a local CBS subsidiary.
Several states in the United States contemplate chemical castration for pedophiles or others convicted of sexual offenses. California was the first to approve in 1996 the measure that punishes certain sex crimes against children up to the age of 13, such as rape and sodomy, with practice.
The states of Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin also have similar measures.
Chemical castration is done through the administration of hormonal drugs. Drugs reduce sexual desire and libido but lose most of the effect when they are discontinued.
In many countries, the measure is applied on a voluntary basis, in exchange for reducing sentences for convicted offenders. In Russia, South Korea and Indonesia can be used in prisoners for crimes of pedophilia.
In Argentina, the province of Mendoza adopted the measure after noticing high rates of recidivism in cases of sexual crimes. M. F.