Korea Vs Castration! Fight!

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/03/116_132250.html

All sex offenders will be subject to chemical castration regardless of the age of their victims beginning March 19, the Ministry of Justice said Sunday. Under the current law, the authorities can consider chemical castration for those who commit sexual crimes against minors under the age of 16 and repeat offenders. The revised law calling for wider use of hormonal treatment was promulgated on Dec. 18. “The expansion of chemical castration to all sex criminals will help boost the protection of people from sexual crimes,” said Lee Chul-hee, an official from the ministry. I have mixed feeling on this. In general Korea is a pretty safe country. But  I'm starting my third year here and I've had enough time to learn about how things work under the surface here and just how frequent sex crimes are and how often they're not reported is really disturbing. So anything that cuts down on that sounds like a good idea. But just as disturbing is the human rights aspect. Especially since it seems the chems used in this can have long-term negative side effects. Thoughts?

Comments

[korean-guy-01.livejournal.com]

since it seems the chems used in this can have long-term negative side effects.

You make it sound like the sex crimes don't have long-term negative side effects to the victims.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

If you disrespect the autonomy of another rational agent, your own autonomy to subject to ignorance.

[dv8nation.livejournal.com]

You make it sound like no one is ever wrongly convicted.

"Sorry you were found guilty by mistake and that those chems we made you take screwed up your health. But hey, you're not dead, right?"

[oportet.livejournal.com]

What's it take to be considered a sex offender there? There should be a distinction made before pushing the law forward. I'm all for a guy who fucks a kid receiving that punishment, but not a guy who gets caught pissing in a parking lot.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the repeat offenders part I can understand, but for a first-time thing... someone could be innocent in these situations. As described in the OP it's way too vague of a criteria for me to comment on.

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

Seems like we have about the same issue as people have with the death penalty. No going back if the person was innocent.

Personally, I think I'd rather get the death penalty. Sure we have the built in survival instinct, but the rest of me says I might rather get the death penalty.

[unnamed525.livejournal.com]

Holy shit. I'm agreeing with you. Shoot me now.

[notmrgarrison.livejournal.com]

Except for the part where I wasn't mis-hearing things.
That would then be the most exaggeratedly-named punishment ever.

[mikeyxw.livejournal.com]

I think it's a fantastic marketing gimmick that probably made it more effective. The ICC should take note and start saying that they hand out death sentences for war criminals. Of course, they use old age as the method of execution, but this wouldn't be part of the headline, it'd be in the part of the article that nobody reads called the body.

[rimpala.livejournal.com]

vagueness and blanket statements too often get in the way of justice, as does over-emotional responses.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

This is my obviously fucked up attitude on these sorts of issues:

Even the most abhorrent criminals have rights.

[comeonyouspurs.livejournal.com]

Disturbing is the right word.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

The use of chemicals to effect medieval punishments is something that has become way too acceptable in the West. Chemical lobotomies have been effectively portrayed as "treatment" for "disease" rather than presented in their full cruel glory. I would prefer to see an effort to determine what factors go into the making of a sex offender and attempt to address those issues rather than cripple the poor sap with drugs.

[lantean-breeze.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that I would call a rapist a "poor sap," but I understand your point.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

People who are degraded to the point that they commit sexual violence are in a sad and pathetic condition. There was a sexual predator living in my neighborhood during my childhood. The adults suspected that he had been abused by his uncle. It is often the case that abusers are the products of abuse.

[lantean-breeze.livejournal.com]

It is often the case, but not always. Also, there are a lot of people who have suffered abuse that don't then become sexual predators or other kinds of abusers. There is such a thing as choice.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Good point. After all, I suppose it could be said that the perpetrator had the choice of where he was born and raised and the victim had the choice of being less a less tempting target by appearing different or by being in a different place at the time. I would not be one to make those propositions, though.

[lantean-breeze.livejournal.com]

I think you know what I mean. A person may not have control over how they were raised, but they do have a choice as to whether they seek help to keep the cycle of abuse from continuing at their hands. And blaming the victim is never the way...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I am not so sure that perpetrators perceive such an option.

[dwer.livejournal.com]

massive infringement of rights.

[lantean-breeze.livejournal.com]

If the evidence is beyond a shadow of a doubt (like it was caught on a security cam with DNA evidence or something), then I'm all for it. For trickier cases where the evidence is sketchy or it's his word vs. hers, then I'd go with just jail time if there is enough reason to believe that the crime was committed.

[kylinrouge.livejournal.com]

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt" used to be achieved via 'hair experts' that would match hair at the scene of a crime to the suspect's. Once genetics came into play this was found to be a completely unscientific procedure and locked up a lot of innocent people. So yeah, legally the term means something different than what we think it should mean.

[lantean-breeze.livejournal.com]

That's creepy. Needless to say, methods matter. Yikes!