n to men, reduces the effects of testosterone, and therefore diminishes the compulsive sexual fantasy. As one analyst stated, it creates "erotic apathy" (Besharov, 1992, p. 42). Fifty sex offender clinics in the United States now use chemical therapy, and it is even more widely used in Europe.
Carefully conducted research indicates that hormone therapy works when combined with appropriate counseling--for most paraphiliacs (sex offenders driven by overwhelming sexual fantasies). Recidivism rates were found to be under five percent (Besharov, 1992, p. 42). Dr. John Bradford of the Royal Ottawa Hospital in Canada states that as a rule, the recidivism rate of sex offenders averages 80 percent before castration (Wright, 1992, p. 170). Various Danish studies have followed as many as 900 castrated sex offenders for several decades; they show that recidivism rates drop to 2.2 percent. What is also important is that 90 percent of the castrated men reported that they themselves are satisfied with the outcome. The main conclusion to be drawn from this particular study of castrated men, according to Dr. Georg K. Sturup, chief psychiatrist of Denmark's Herstedvester Detention Center, is that a person who has suffered as a result of his sexual drive will, after castration, feel a great sense of relief at being freed from these urges (Wright, 1992, p. 170).
There are, however, two significant problems with the chemical approach. One is that it depends on the men being willing to show up every week to receive their injections. Clinics that provide MPA injections are plagued by dropouts, and without the shots testosterone levels quickly rise to pre-treatment levels (Wright, 1992, p. 175). The other problem with chemical treatment is that it produces side effects. In a study titled, "The Texas Experience with Depo-Provera, 1980-1990," three researchers reported on 40 men who received the injections. Beyond the fact that seven of those...