Louisiana Juvenile Rapist Set to Be Chemically Castrated

While I'm nearly certain that juvenile rape victims and their families wish their attackers were surgically relieved of their entire male appendages, that's just not a legal option.

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However, a Louisiana law passed in 2008 does the job just about as well.

Fox8live.com reports that on March 1, Ryan Clark, 34, of Kentwood, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to felony charges of second-degree rape, molestation of a juvenile under 13, and sexual battery.

On March 14, Clark was sentenced to 35 years in prison and prior to his release, must undergo chemical castration.

Louisiana law provides for the possibility of chemical castration to be imposed in the form of drug injections on certain violent criminals found guilty of heinous crimes including molestation of a juvenile, aggravated rape, forcible rape, second-degree sexual battery, aggravated incest, and aggravated crime against nature.

What Does The Process Do To Offenders?

Findlaw.com says this of chemical castration:

These treatments are intended to quell the sex drive of male sex offenders by lowering their testosterone levels.

And the US Department of Justice adds that:

The class of sexual offenders known as paraphiliacs can be treated with an antiandrogenic drug called Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) which chemically castrates the offender. The paraphiliac offender undergoing this treatment is no longer motivated to commit sex offenses and is more amenable to psychotherapy that can enable him to reintegrate into the community.

Chemical Castration Has Been Overwhelmingly Successful When Used

While some might forget about the victims of these crimes and cry for the perpetrator's civil rights, this procedure has been determined to be within those rights and it has produced some outstanding results.

According to the National Library of Medicine,

Surgical castration reportedly produces definitive results, even in repeat pedophilic offenders, by reducing recidivism rates to 2% to 5% compared with expected rates of 50%.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Consider those numbers.  Only 2 to 5% of those undergoing these treatments will go on to repeat their crimes, compared to 50% of those not receiving the treatment.

Maybe I'm just a little cold-hearted, but I'm thinking with results like these, judges should impose this penalty a lot more frequently.