Chemical castration

The French National Assembly is debating a new bill on the treatment of sex re-offenders. The bill comes after the nation was jolted by a series of violent sex crimes, such as the rape and murder of a 42-year-old female jogger by a previously convicted rapist, and the kidnapping and rape of a 5-year-old boy by a 63-year-old man with previous multiple pedophilia convictions.

The talks are dominated by the debate on whether France should mandate chemical castration for sex re-offenders. Chemical castration involves the injection of anti-androgen drugs, such as cyproterone or the birth-control drug Depo-Provera, designed to reduce libido and sexual activity, in the hope of preventing sex offenders from re-offending. Unlike surgical castration, where the testes are removed through an incision in the scrotum, so-called chemical castration does not actually castrate the person, nor is it a form of sterilization.

France, along with a number of other European countries, including Sweden and Denmark, already allows chemical castration to be performed on offenders voluntarily. France first tested the procedure on 48 volunteer offenders in 2005, with the intention that, if it worked, it could one day become obligatory for sex offenders.

Increase in sex offences

The number of people sent to prison in France for sex offences has increased sevenfold over the past 20 years and recent sex crimes have caused outrage in French public opinion. The statistics have prompted senior ministers to advocate strengthening punishments against sex offenders and making chemical castration compulsory.

The debate has divided France's policy makers. A spokesman for Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party has called for wider use of chemical castration, while an outraged Socialist party spokesman has called the idea "deplorable" and "indecent."

Prime Minister Francois Fillon has admitted that the government is considering forcing sex offenders to undergo chemical castration. Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie has gone further and has proposed that the option of physical castration, which is currently illegal in France, be included in the debates in parliament.

Prime Minister Fillon has said, "We are not ruling out any line of reflection on any subject."

Sarkozy tough on sex crimes

The debate on how to deal with sex offenders is a popular topic with French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who prides himself on his tough stance on law and order. Sarkozy has, in the past, spoken in favour of chemical castration and has pledged tougher penalties for repeat sex offenders.

The case of the 5-year-old boy raped by Francis Evrard, a 63-year-old paedophile, caused the government to speedily enact new legislation in 2008, which allows authorities to keep criminals in jail after the end of their term, if they are deemed to remain a threat to society. Sarkozy also called for closer supervision of paroled prisoners and a review of France's criminal psychiatry system.

Sarkozy's "tough on crime" credentials, as a former interior minister, played a role in his rise to prominence. He and his government, however, have been widely criticised for churning out ill-considered new laws as populist, knee-jerk reactions to public outrage over crimes.

Former French Justice Minister Robert Badinter, for instance, has spoken out against the drive towards new castration rules. "We don't mutilate human beings ... in our societies," Badinter said on Europe 1 radio.

Poland backs castration

Poland is one of the pioneer advocates of chemical castration. In September 2009, the Polish parliament passed legislation making it obligatory to chemically castrate certain sex offenders. The bill must still, however, pass the Senate before it comes into force.

Under the new law, chemical castration is mandatory for convicted pedophiles after their release from prison. The new legislation came in the wake of a shocking case of rape incest in Poland. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk thereafter called for stricter punishment for sex offenders.

"I want ... to introduce in Poland," said Tusk, "the most rigorous law possible regarding criminals who rape children."

The new law sparked fierce criticism from human rights organizations. European Parliament members also criticized the bill, but at the same time they admitted that criminal law was a matter for individual member states to decide for themselves.

Author: ft/Reuters/dpa/AFP
Editor: Michael Lawton