i have never really supported the death penalty, but if i had to support it i think it should be used for crimes with high recidivism rates and this crime is one of those

6/1/2006 7:33:58 AM

Quote :

" But I was thinking "undesirable" to mean bums, the unemployed, poor people, etc.. "

Nah. The poor and unemployed have an important economic function, and the bums aren't really worth exterminating.

Quote :

" I was basically wondering who decides what crimes are heinous enough to be worthy of death, and what crimes aren't."

Our duly elected government. If you don't want them making decisions, you have bigger problems than this.

6/1/2006 4:44:25 PM

I think I hesitate to discuss chemical castration because it gives too much humanity to the people who literally make the hair on the back of my neck stand up (I'm an animal! LOL) and my stomach turn.

I found this article, and I'm not sure about the validity of it, but it's an easy read and remains unemotional (although it is pushing a point of view).

Quote :

"Joseph Frank Smith, a convicted child molester, became an advocate for chemical castration after undergoing the therapy in the 1980s. Smith stopped using the injections in 1989. In 1999, he was convicted for molesting a five-year old girl and immediately returned to prison (3). Depo-Provera also has caused side effects in some men "including depression, fatigue, diabetes, [and] blood clots" (2). Chemical castration may cause some detrimental effects in child molesters."

Quote :

"Depo-Provera also reduces recidivism rates. When used as a mandatory condition of parole (6), chemical castration decreases the occurrence of repeat offenses from 75% (6) to 2% (1). Prison is less desirable because it serves no rehabilitative purpose for sexual offenders. Pedophiles who spend time festering in a prison cell are given extensive downtime to concoct new sordid sexual fantasies involving children. These horrific visions are translated into terrifying realities once the criminal comes back into contact with children following his inevitable release from prison (1). Prison simply produces sneakier criminals. Pedophiles do not want to be incarcerated again so they think of new ways to rape children that will avoid detection and future detention (6). Prison increases aggressive tendencies in male pedophiles while chemical castration addresses the root causes of sexual assault and decreases further sexual deviance."

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f02/web1/kamlin.html

It's really scary. While my gut says lock them up forever, I can't ignore the fact that, if chemically castrated, these men could function in society (but would they really be functioning?). And how much of their condition is their fault? I suspect there are men out there who have the urge to rape children but don't (perhaps because the nurture part has done its job), but we'll never hear from these men because who wants to admit to that desire? I can't imagine the shame and self-loathing that must come with having an urge to do something that you know is super duper wrong. I think, with chemical castration, they may still have the mental urge to abuse children but physically can't. As has already been mentioned, they can still hurt children in other ways.

It just sucks that we don't know enough to help these people. We just have to throw up our hands and say, "Okay, give us your balls, you sick son of a bitch. I hope you like prison food."

There are so many different "types" of pedophiles. Some of it's nature, and some of it's nurture, and the whole thing just hurts.

I'm trying to imagine what I would want for my friend or family member if I discovered they had the urge to and actually did hurt children. I'd probably be tempted to put them out of their misery, not for society but for them.

[Edited on June 1, 2006 at 5:13 PM. Reason : sss]

6/1/2006 4:54:32 PM

Quote :

"Smith stopped using the injections in 1989"

They can do that!?!?

Execute them all then.

6/1/2006 5:10:25 PM