Recent Supreme Court case addresses the possibility of implementing chemical castration as a new punishment for convicted sexual predators in rare cases.

The Supreme Court heard a plea by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association seeking chemical castration of child rapists. The court favored tougher punishments for sex offenders but doesn’t have the ability to allow for harsher measures such as chemical castration.

Chemical castration works by reducing offenders’ testosterone levels and uses the assistance of drugs to lower sex drive.Those in support of this method believe it is the best way to discourage repeat offenses because sex offenders have a high rate of relapsing back into their criminal ways.

Abha Singh, a women’s rights activist, mentioned that serial offenders have psychological problems that chemical castration can help correct. In situations as repulsive as child rape, she believes strict measures must be taken. Other arguments in favor of chemical castration point out that unlike surgical castration, it can be reversed and is non-invasive.

Opposing arguments cite that it appears to be a suitable solution only when viewed from the biological side. Robert Philips, medical deputy director of the American Psychiatry Association, previously stated that the issue of sex offense is credited to deviant predatory behavior, and must be observed from a psychological standpoint as well.

Experts also argue that a clinical evaluation along with psychological tests and polygraph tests must be administered to predict recidivism in each specific case.

To view Vishnupriya Bhandaram’s full article on Firstpost visit this link.