The Czech Republic's practice of surgically castrating convicted sex offenders is "invasive, irreversible and mutilating" and should stop immediately, the Council of Europe's Anti-Torture Committee said in a report made public Thursday.It only takes a quick dance through the internet or a minimal familiarity with the conservative mindset to see that this barbarism will receive wide support. All the law-and-order types and the personal-responsibility folks will be quick to point out the efficacy a policy like this. All the vengeance seekers and the eye-for-an-eye characters will applaud this insanity. The Czech government is doing it, after all.
The Council of Europe condemned the practice as "degrading."
The procedure is being performed even on first-time, non-violent offenders, such as exhibitionists, its investigation revealed.
It argues the procedure is effective in reducing repeat offenses.
I wonder if that's true. Putting aside for a moment the questions of privacy and torture, of human rights, does it really work?
But the Council of Europe questioned the statistics on repeat offenses and said even if they were correct, castration was not an appropriate way to reduce recidivism.Studies, which I'm sure are just a click or two away, have suggested that rape is not about sexual attraction in many cases, but about power and violence. It's about subjugating another person and violating them. I suppose the theory is that the drive to harm others in this way does not come from the same testosterone that promotes the sexual urge. Of course, if this is true, then the Czech policy is all the more barbaric. What do you think?"The committee's delegation came across three cases in which sex offenders had committed serious sex-related crimes, including serial rape and attempted murder, after they had been surgically castrated," the human-rights group said.
But, what about gelded horses? Isn't that practice done to promote docility? Wouldn't the same thing work on humans?
And what does this say about the power of deterrence? I can't imagine how the would-be rapist who knows that the penalty could be castration, can go ahead and rape. To me this proves that deterrence does not work. The reason it doesn't work, as I've said before, is that criminals plan on getting away with their crimes, they don't plan on getting caught. Sometimes this is a calculated, well-thought-out criminal plan, while other times it's pure delusion. The result is always the same. Deterrence fails to inhibit criminals.
What's your opinion?
What is happening in Eastern Europe?
ReplyDeleteI think that this is going to become an issue with the European Union regarding human rights abuses in a member country.
I don't know what criteria they use to determine the appropriateness of this punishment, but it is wrong, unequivokly wrong!
Yes, the word barberic does apply.
Recall that it was the barbarians, the Mongol hordes, the Vikings, the waves of blood-thirsty savages from the steppes of Asia who conquered Europe and whose genetic material still floats in the bloodstream of these people.
ReplyDeleteThis is an example of well-meaning laws without a tradition of individual rights. It also explains why we need to protect the rights of heinous criminals--things like this trickle down.
ReplyDeleteWe've got milder versions of this extremism here--Junior high and high school kids being persecuted as 'child pornographers', for sending nude pictures of themselves to friends, people having to register as sex offenders for urinating in public or streaking.
Rape victims might disagree with you guys. Deterrence or not, it may be an appropriate punishment for serial rape/w. or wo. murder. And I would think it would deter some would-be rapists and reduce rescidivism. If it allowed him to get out of jail, a rapist might prefer it to a lengthy sentence.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the Floridian who buried the child alive in a plastic bag after sex crimes against her? hard to feel sorry for such a fellow --though granted he is pitiful and pathetic --but he is also wicked beyond imagination to put a child through such horror. Imagine it were your own little girl --or that you were the little girl. What should be done to such a man? Just incarcerate him and give him good meals for the rest of his life at our expense?
Wow Sevesteen, I didn't realize we were on the same page about these things. You better watch out or they'll be calling you a bleeding-heart liberal. Or are you one of those guys Weer'd mentioned once, a pro-gun liberal?
ReplyDeleteMud, You made me laugh because I often think that Mongol horde genetic connection explains my wife, who is Turkish. I don't say it to her though.
Mike, I may be more-or-less on the same page as you as well.
ReplyDeleteActually I see this responce as a very "liberal" one, if you allow me a minor dig.
They're taking some HUGE leaps for this. Do testicles make rapists and sex offenders offend? Will this work? Why haven't reversible chemical castrations been used?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_castration
I'm with you Mike, this REEKS of human rights abuses and totalitarianism. Still I'd love to see the data generated by this, tho likely the data will be so dirty it'll be unusable.
Interesting: 5 male comments, one female. Five against, one pro. Obviouslyly this female does not have to worry about having her balls cut off.
ReplyDeleteDoes this make Barb's opinion on abortion more valid than yours, Muddy?
ReplyDelete: ]
Recall that it was the barbarians, the Mongol hordes, the Vikings, the waves of blood-thirsty savages from the steppes of Asia who conquered Europe and whose genetic material still floats in the bloodstream of these people.
ReplyDeleteIf you are being sarcastic here, Mudrake, I don't follow you.
If you are criticizing Czechs by pointing out their barbarian heritages, aren't you being racist? consistent with your Nazi heritage?
And why does mike have a sense of humor about THAT, ignoring the bigotry implied (even toward the heritage of his Turkish wife) ---while condemning and deriding as bigots the people who think there is a psychological abnormality to correct or prevent in certain deviant lifestyles?
And what IS an appropriate punishment for someone who would sexually abuse and bury a child alive?
I don't think it's "cruel and unusual punishment" for someone who is guilty beyond ALL doubt of heinous sex crimes including extreme torture and murder --or even the men who have imprisoned women in underground bunkers for sex --and imprisoned their own daughters for sex, keeping their victims imprisoned for months or years.
Castration for them is appropriate --and if you think they will offend for other reasons, keep them locked up as well.
if this could be shown to actually work as a preventative against recidivism, i'd be all for it. my main issue is whether it can be shown to be effective; if not, it'd clearly be tyrannous.
ReplyDeleteBarb:
ReplyDeleteA lot of us don't think rape is a minor crime. I'd like to see more women armed, and I'd like to see most attempted rapists shot before the attempt is complete.
However, I'm not in favor of castrating the survivors--Our legal system needs to be dispassionate and very careful. Some (and maybe most) violent rapists should spend decades in prison. Repeat offenders should likely spend the rest of their lives in prison.
I might be OK with castration as a condition of early parole, but only with safeguards, proof of effectiveness, and the right of the criminal to say no.
Being a woman, I would say Barb's opinion on abortion and rape is more valid that the rest of ours. That doesn't mean I have to agree.
ReplyDelete