Should Sex Offenders be Castrated?

Convicted sex offenders in Texas have the option of castration after they are sentenced. Just three have actually gone through with the procedure since the law was put in place 13 years ago. Jason Clark with the state Department of Criminal Justice with 4,400 convicted sex offenders sent to Texas prisons last year, the small ratio reflects strict criteria for having it done. "Offenders have to be 21-years-old and convicted of at least two sex offenses, and then receive at least 18 months of sex offender treatment," Clark says. "After that, offenders must take a chemical to understand how their body will react once the actual castration is completed."

But does castration work deter deviant behavior? A New England man recently tried to convince a judge that it does, so he could avoid prison time. However, some victims’ rights advocates like Randy Burton with Justice for Children tell Houston's Morning News that jail time is the only way to ensure public safety. "People who abuse children, or who are serial rapists can find other ways to continue to abuse," Burton insists. "It is by no means a full proof way of fixing somebody's sick urges." Still some medical experts believe removing testosterone by castration, limits the drive of sexual predators.