UK to roll out chemical castration for sex offenders
The United Kingdom will roll out the use of chemical suppressants on prisoners convicted of serious sexual offences to reduce the risk of them reoffending.
Speaking to Parliament on Thursday 22 May, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said that an ongoing trial programme for chemical castration would be expanded to 20 more prisons in two regions as part of a national rollout.
“For one subset of offenders, offending relates to power. For another subset of offenders, we believe that a combination of chemical suppressants and psychological interventions can have a big and positive impact,” Mahmood said.
She noted that where sexual offences were concerned, studies showed chemical intervention can result in a 60% reduction in reoffending.
“A pilot has been trundling along for many years, and nobody has shown much interest in it, including any of my predecessors—Tory Justice Secretaries just let it carry on. I am not willing to do that, and I am not squeamish about taking further measures.”
“We are going to have a national rollout of this programme, and I will ensure that is what happens,” she said.
Mahmood added that she was exploring whether mandating the approach is possible.
“Of course, it is vital that this approach is taken alongside psychological interventions that target other causes of offending, such as asserting power and control,” she noted.
The recommendation to roll out chemical castration to more prisons across the country forms part of an independent sentencing review led by former justice secretary David Gauke.
The review considered several interventions aimed at overhauling the prison system, which is running out of space and failing to reduce reoffending.
“Despite building as quickly as we can, demand for [prison] places will outstrip supply by 9,500 in early 2028, and that is why I commissioned the sentencing review. Its task was clear: This country must never run out of prison places again. There must always be space for dangerous offenders,” Mahmood said.
“At the same time, the review was tasked with addressing the fact that our prisons too often create better criminals, not better citizens. Instead of cutting crime, they are breeding grounds for it.”
The review also proposed the immediate deportation of foreign national offenders sentenced to three years or less, and that sentences of less than 12 months be scrapped, excepting circumstances such as domestic abuse.
