Chemical castration of sex offenders will be trialled in northern England, David Lammy announced.
The Justice Secretary informed MPs that a pilot scheme in south-west England had yielded “positive” results.
The contentious medication suppresses “problematic sexual arousal”, he explained – controlling offenders who might pose a danger to the public. The news comes as a suspected small boat promoter is arrested in bed.
Mr Lammy stated: “These drugs restrain sexual urges and offenders who could pose a risk to the public. They’re delivered alongside psychological interventions that target other drivers of offending, including asserting power and control.
“And while the evidence base is limited, it is positive. And for that reason, we will roll the approach out nationwide, starting with two new regions, the northwest, the north east covering up to 20 prisons.”, reports the Mirror.
Mr Lammy revealed that approximately 6,400 offenders will be eligible for voluntary chemical castration.
This means 20 prisons are now included in the scheme, which combines medication and psychological therapy to help suppress the twisted desires of paedophiles and rapists.
Mr Lammy briefed MPs on the divisive proposals as he presented the Government’s landmark Sentencing Bill for its second reading in the Commons.
The new legislation will allow certain inmates to secure early release after serving just a third of their sentence if they demonstrate good behaviour behind bars through an “earned progression” system. Criminals guilty of lesser offences will face a greater likelihood of community-based punishment, utilising technology such as electronic tagging alongside expanded use of restrictions including travel and football banning orders.
Mr Lammy declared the reforms would “follow the evidence and keep the public safe”.
He informed MPs that most prisoners serving terms under 12 months committed fresh crimes within a year of release.
“This is the legacy of the last government, a system that fails to turn offenders away from crime and a revolving door of repeat offending. The scale is shocking,” he declared.
He explained that judges would retain powers to impose brief custodial terms when individuals face harm risks, including victims, or in domestic abuse situations where court orders have been violated.
Mr Lammy stated: “Punishment must apply whether sentences are served inside or outside of prison. The Bill ensures our prisons never run out of space again, but it does more than that. It ensures prison sentences rehabilitate, turning offenders from crime.
“It ensures victims are at the heart of justice, with safeguards in place, it expands effective sentencing outside prison for those who can be managed in the community, it follows the evidence on what works, it’s pragmatic, principled, protecting the public and it draws a clear line after a Tory record of failure.”
However, worries have emerged regarding strain on probation services for the changes to be properly executed. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has warned that the Bill could “unleash a crime wave across the country”.
He informed MPs that the proposed legal presumption to suspend prison sentences of 12 months or less is “a get out of jail free card on an unprecedented scale”.
Prisons Minister James Timpson conceded that much of the probation service is “clunky”. He revealed that efforts are underway, including investment and recruitment, to ensure officers can spend more “face-to-face” time with offenders to aid their rehabilitation.
Addressing peers on the Lords justice committee, Lord Timpson also acknowledged that tagging can sometimes be “unsuccessful” due to a delay between an offender leaving prison and having a tag fitted.
“It is our vision that most people leaving prison will be tagged as part of the sentencing review and the way the progression model works.
“The trial we’re doing at the moment is about improving accuracy… but also aiding prisoners’ rehabilitation because if we can get an alcohol tag on them when they’re in prison they’re far less likely to go to the pub on the way home [before] they get their first tag on.”
Under a new pilot next month (OCT), offenders will be tagged before they leave the prison gates.