PRAGMATIC ISSUES

Thirty-seven-year-old Thomas Allen McCartney, of Leesville, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted first-degree rape of a child under the age of 13.

As part of the plea deal, McCartney agreed to serve 40 years in state prison, according to the Vernon Parish District Attorney’s Office.

He also agreed to be chemically castrated.

How many of you have had a pet, a male dog or cat and had been told, get them fixed it’ll calm them down, change their behaviour only to find that was in fact, not the case? This is a great idea, in theory, but it requires a lot of management.

Chemical vs. Surgical Castration

Chemical Castration

• Method: Involves regular injections or oral medications, most often anti-androgens like medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera) or leuprolide (Lupron). These suppress testosterone production.
• Effect: Decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, reduced sexual fantasies and urges. It doesn’t physically alter the body, but requires ongoing compliance (missed doses = testosterone returns).
• Reversible: Once treatment stops, testosterone levels generally return to normal, and so do sex drives and impulses.
• Side effects: Weight gain, fatigue, bone density loss, diabetes, cardiovascular issues, depression.
• Chemical = reversible, requires compliance, more like medication.

Surgical Castration

• Method: Orchiectomy (removal of the testicles).
• Effect: Permanently reduces testosterone production to 5–10% of normal. Libido, erectile capacity, and sexual fantasies usually drop drastically.
• Irreversible: Unlike chemical castration, there’s no going back. Some testosterone remains (from adrenal glands), and it can be supplemented synthetically — so it’s not a total “switch-off.”
• Side effects: Permanent infertility, osteoporosis, hot flashes, emotional changes, loss of secondary sexual traits (muscle mass, hair).
• Surgical = permanent, one-time intervention, but still doesn’t eliminate every trace of sexual function or psychological drive.

Does Castration “Fix” Sexual Predators?

This is where evidence paints a sobering picture. Castration — chemical or surgical — reduces testosterone, but it does not erase the underlying disorder, trauma, or compulsion.

Key Evidence

• Recidivism Still Happens
• Studies show that while castration reduces recidivism rates, it doesn’t eliminate them.
• Example: A Danish study (Christiansen & Knudsen, 1987) found recidivism dropped from ~80% (non-castrated offenders) to ~2–5% (castrated). But some still reoffended, showing motivation isn’t purely hormonal.

• Psychological Drives Remain:
  
  • Pedophilia and paraphilic disorders are not solely fueled by testosterone. Many offenders describe urges as compulsive, rooted in psychological fixation, not just libido.
  • Even without erections, offenders can still engage in abuse through coercion, grooming, or non-penetrative acts.
• Criminology Reviews:
  
  • The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has stated chemical castration alone is not a cure, but can be useful as part of a combined treatment with therapy and supervision.
  • A 2018 meta-analysis in Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment concluded castration lowers risk but is not sufficient by itself.
• Ethical Concerns:
  
  • Some experts argue castration creates a false sense of “safety” — leading courts or parole boards to believe offenders are neutralized when in fact risk still exists.
  • Mental illness, compulsive behavior, and antisocial traits often drive abuse more than libido.

Austrian Case – Josef Fritzl’s Prison Peers

• Austria has used surgical castration since the 1970s on high-risk sex offenders.
• In a 1998 Austrian study, some castrated men still reoffended despite having drastically lowered testosterone.
• Example: One man, castrated in the 1980s for repeated child molestation, later abused children again. He used digital penetration and coercive grooming, crimes not dependent on erections.
• It exposed that offenders don’t need “full sexual function” to harm — the compulsive psychological drive persists.

Germany – Multiple Failures of Castration Programs

• Germany legalized voluntary surgical castration for sex offenders after WWII.
• Studies by Berlin’s Institute of Forensic Psychiatry showed 3–7% of castrated offenders still reoffended.
• One infamous case: A convicted pedophile castrated in the 1970s still molested several boys in the 1990s — proving reduced libido didn’t stop his compulsions.

United States – Chemical Castration Failures

• Since the 1990s, states like California, Florida, and Louisiana experimented with chemical castration laws.
• In California, a 2002 review found that several offenders stopped taking injections (since it was court-ordered but not always enforced) and relapsed into predatory behavior.
• One offender resumed molesting after missing doses, highlighting the compliance loophole.

South Korea – High-Profile Case (2013)

• South Korea introduced chemical castration for repeat child sex offenders in 2011.
• In 2013, a man identified as “Mr. Shin” became the first chemically castrated offender in the country.
• Within two years, reports emerged of sex offenders under chemical castration reoffending — often by switching tactics (non-penetrative abuse, child pornography, coercive touching).
• It raised doubts in South Korea’s parliament about whether the policy was a deterrent at all.

Denmark – The “Model Case Study” That Still Failed

• Denmark’s famous Christiansen & Knudsen (1987) study often cited as “proof castration works.”
• Out of 900 castrated offenders, about 2–5% still reoffended.
• But that “small number” still translates into dozens of victims harmed even after drastic medical intervention.
• The Danish government concluded castration reduces risk but cannot guarantee safety.

Why These Cases Matter

1. Abuse doesn’t require an erection – molestation, coercion, and exploitation still happen.
2. Psychological compulsion is stronger than biology – for some, the paraphilia itself is the root cause, not testosterone.
3. Compliance failures – chemical castration only works if offenders stay on the drugs.
4. False sense of security – courts may release “castrated” offenders early under the illusion they’re “safe.”

Why It Doesn’t “Fix” the Problem

• Pedophilia = high sex drive: It’s a paraphilic attraction to children — not just an excess libido.
• Opportunity and compulsion matter: Many child predators act out because of access, grooming skills, and compulsive fantasies, none of which disappear with castration.
• Violence isn’t always sexual: Some predators derive power, control, or sadistic pleasure — drives not diminished by testosterone levels.

What Experts Recommend Instead of (or Alongside) Castration

Lifelong Monitoring & Supervision

• GPS tracking & parole supervision:
  High-risk offenders, especially those with child victims, are most effectively managed through constant supervision.
• Specialized parole officers: Trained specifically to monitor sex offenders, track their online activity, and control movements.
• Regular polygraphs (“maintenance polygraphs”): Used in the U.S. to test compliance with therapy and conditions (e.g., not contacting minors).

Why it works: Keeps offenders under a microscope, reducing opportunities for reoffending.

Specialized Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Focus: Address distorted thinking, compulsions, and empathy deficits.
• Relapse prevention therapy: Teaches offenders to recognize “triggers” and avoid grooming behaviors.
• Group programs (like SOTPs in the UK): Use peer confrontation to challenge rationalizations (e.g., “the child wanted it”).

Why it works: Pedophilia and sexual compulsions aren’t just libido; they’re deeply wired thought patterns. Therapy rewires the narrative.

Mandatory Residential Restrictions

• Many U.S. states bar sex offenders from living within 1,000–2,000 feet of schools, parks, or daycare centers.
• Criticism: Some argue this just pushes offenders into homeless camps (as happened in Florida’s infamous “sex offender colony” under a bridge).
• Balanced version: Controlled, supervised housing programs are more effective than banishing offenders into instability.

Why it works: Removes temptation and access to children.

Sex Offender Registration & Public Notification

• Systems like Megan’s Law (U.S.) or the UK’s sex offender registry allow police — and sometimes the public — to know where predators live.
• In some cases, schools, churches, and community centers are notified if a high-risk offender moves nearby.

Why it works: Increases community vigilance and reduces secrecy, though it does come with ethical debates on rehabilitation vs. public safety.

Indefinite Civil Commitment

• Used in the U.S. for the “worst of the worst” — offenders can be kept in psychiatric facilities after serving their prison sentence if judged still dangerous.
• Example: Minnesota’s civil commitment program, where offenders undergo long-term therapy inside secure treatment centers.

Why it works: Keeps compulsive predators confined even when their criminal sentence is over.

Polypharmacy (Beyond Castration Drugs)

• Newer research suggests combining anti-androgens (for libido suppression) with SSRIs (antidepressants) can help reduce obsessive sexual thoughts.
• Unlike castration, this targets the compulsive, obsessive aspect of sexual offending.

Why it works: Medication + therapy = better outcomes than hormones alone.

Community-Based Risk Management

• Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA): A Canadian model now used in the UK and some U.S. states.
  
  • Volunteers form a “circle” around a released offender, offering support but also holding them accountable.
  • Proven to reduce recidivism by up to 70% in some studies.

Why it works: Offenders with community support are less likely to fall back into secrecy, isolation, and predation.

What the Data Shows

• Castration alone: Lowers risk, but not zero — some still reoffend.
• Castration + therapy + monitoring: Far better outcomes, but still not foolproof.
• Comprehensive programs (like CoSA, CBT, supervision, restrictions): Best track record in actually reducing reoffense long-term.

Experts agree on one thing: there is no silver bullet.

• Castration can be one tool, but it’s dangerous when politicians or courts sell it as a “cure.”
• What works best is layered defense: strict monitoring, therapy, medical management, housing rules, and civil commitment when necessary.

Castration, whether surgical or chemical, may lower risk but is far from a solution. The real-world examples show predators often adapt their methods when testosterone drops. The underlying truth is this:

• Castration suppresses biology.
• Predation comes from psychology.

Until the mental disorder, compulsive drive, and social opportunity are addressed, castration alone will never be the silver bullet politicians want it to be.

You don’t fix a predator with a scalpel or an injection, you manage them for life.