Prozac for paedophiles

[Abrad]

news.independent.co.uk
Jailed sex offenders to get anti-depressants in controversial treatment approved by ministers. Home Secretary attacked by Met police chief over plans to move offenders out of hostels

Paedophiles and other sex offenders are to be prescribed Prozac in an attempt to prevent them reoffending, under radical plans approved by ministers.

The Independent on Sunday can today reveal that 100 prisoners in nine jails will take part in trials of the anti-depressant drug this autumn to test its use in suppressing obsessive sexual urges. An estimated 10 per cent of sex offenders could eventually be treated with the drug.

The Department of Health is also understood to be investigating the possible use of voluntary "chemical castration", which uses libido-suppressing drugs to treat sex offenders who do not respond to ordinary programmes.

The disclosure that ministers plan to use these controversial measures to deal with sex attackers comes amid a growing political row over how children should be protected from sex abusers.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, fears that removing sex offenders from bail hostels near schools will severely disrupt the offenders' treatment programmes and could place children at greater risk of harm, The Independent on Sunday has learnt.

The issue of how best to protect children from sex offenders has been thrust to the top of the political agenda by John Reid in recent announcements to tabloid newspapers.

The Home Secretary's announcement in last week's News of the World that he was also considering alerting parents to any paedophile neighbours drew accusations from senior police that he had succumbed to blackmail. Terry Grange, from the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said it was "policy-making on the hoof".

Britain's senior police officers are increasingly concerned about a shift in policy on how paedophiles are handled, which they believe could result in justice at the hands of the lynch mob.Critics say the introduction to Britain of a so-called Megan's Law, based on US legislation under which names and addresses of paedophiles are publicised, would lull parents into a false sense of security and provoke mob violence.

Successful management of offenders is, say experts, the most cost-effective way to protect children. Drug treatment and the use of compulsory lie detectors for paedophiles on probation aim to further reduce the risk of reoffending.

Prozac - or its generic version, Fluoxetine - is already widely used in North America for the treatment of sex offenders, although it is effective only with the minority prone to obsessive thoughts.

Professor Don Grubin, who is leading the Department of Health-funded pilot, told the IoS that the drug could be effective in treating up to 10 per cent of offenders. "These drugs lessen their intensity and work on obsessive compulsive disorders. They also help with elevating mood."

Compulsory lie detector tests are seen as a useful way of preventing reoffending and breach of parole, but plans to make them mandatory have never made it on to the statute books.

Harry Fletcher, of the National Association of Probation Officers, said most sex offenders could be managed successfully.

"With the right programmes, sex offenders can be treated. There is no evidence that there has been any significant rise in attacks, and the number of kidnaps are so small they don't even record them."

How it works

Prozac stimulates the brain's production of the enzyme serotonin, which can cause loss of libido. The enzyme also boosts self-esteem and helps people overcome negative and obsessive emotions such as deviant desires to have sex with children.

[jesusfreak666er]

great article swim is not a pedo (can not stress that enough) lol but swim started taking prozac 2 months ago, and it has had a great effect on swim's obsessive behavior of getting high and only feeling content if swim is high. swim is now happy as swim is and enjoys getting high but does not feel the need to do so to be happy. Prozac is a miracle drug with few side effects (if you ask swim) so if prozac can help some of the sickos stop touching children swim says its worth a try.

on the other hand (swim hates to side with sickos but) does the goverment have the right to medicate prisoners without their consent, that is illegal, you have the right to turn down medication

on the third and final hand (my parents were from cherynoble ) swim feels that if someone does that horrible of an act they dont deserve rights, and since prozac is not an anti-pyschotic and will prob actually make the sickos feel better its worth a try, or for that matter its worth the bridge on human rights to force it on them.

great though provoking article.

[IHrtHalucingens]

The only problem is that most sex offenders and child molesters do it for the power and control more than for the sexual pleasure. But i guess that was probably taken into account and is why it is said to be able to help only those who have obsessive thoughts/OCD, which is only 10% of them.

Maybe these offenders should be given mushrooms for their OCD.

[enquirewithin]

This must be a constructive idea in a way. Sex offenders are sick, but the problem is that many don't see it that way (for example, Gary Glitter, who thinks he's done nothing wrong.) There needs to be much more reseacrh don eon this subject. Psychedelic or psychllytic therapy would probably help with some of them.

[sands of time]

Why did they call serotonin an enzyme? And furthermore, it doesn't boost it's production, it inhibits the reuptake. Other than that, this might be a good idea, seeing as how one the side effects of SSRIs is sexual dysfunction.

[Alicia]

Just my opinion, i have such a low tolarence for sexual predators that go after children, and rape in general. they should be publically castrated and fucking shot.

If you murder someone you take them of the planet, If you sexually assualt someone they have to live with that for the rest of there life. Yes some people get over it, some of "us" get over it.. anyway lock them all away..

*had to have a re take on this issue, im sorry if it came off as a bit nasty. However Im not really open minded on this subject, and dont think i ever will be.*

[Creeping Death]

In theory you could give all violent offenders pills to keep them in check.

But it's versus personal freedom. Then again so is prison (the only alternative). It's not an easy question.