TOWARDS A GENERALIZATION OF CHEMICAL CASTRATION FOR SEX OFFENDERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM?

Thousands of male prisoners in the UK will receive medication to control their libido. Starting in December 2028, it will be distributed on a voluntary basis.

A first step towards mandatory chemical castration? In the United Kingdom, many prisoners will be offered the opportunity to lower their libido through specialized medication.

Initially, only 10 prisons are involved in this voluntary chemical castration program. In total, across several prisons in England and Wales, one in four convicts will be eligible for this treatment, representing a total of 3,750 individuals. Approximately 15,000 people are serving sentences for sexual offenses in these prisons.

A PROGRAM TO BE DEFINITIVELY ADOPTED IN 28 MONTHS?

Next, this number will be increased from 10 prison facilities to 20 in November 2026. Finally, the project will cover two other regions, in the northwest and northeast of England, several months later.

Belinda Winder, the professor in charge of evaluating the use of these chemicals on offenders, believes the project could be fully operational within 28 months, if the pilot project proves satisfactory.

"I am optimistic about the possibility of establishing a voluntary, well-resourced national pathway for the management of substance abuse and opioid dependence (MMPSA). A good national service requires qualified clinicians, clear referral pathways, and appropriate psychological support in addition to medication," she reminded the Guardian.

ON A VOLUNTARY BASIS... THEN MANDATORY

British ministers are also considering making this measure mandatory, particularly for the most dangerous sex offenders such as pedophiles and rapists.

The proposed medication may be a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which plays a key role in the development of intrusive sexual thoughts. Anti-androgens, which reduce testosterone production, are also effective. They can restore an individual's testosterone levels to prepubertal levels.

The United Kingdom joins several other countries on the continent offering a similar measure: Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and France, where treatment is strictly voluntary, prescribed by a doctor, and combined with psychological or psychiatric follow-up. In Poland, the legislation is stricter, with the use of libido-limiting medication being mandatory for some prisoners.