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Arousal Reduction in Sexual Offenders: A Review of Antiandrogen Interventions

NCJ Number
168315
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1997) Pages: 335-347
Author(s)
R A Prentky
Date Published
1997
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article surveys the use of antiandrogen treatment to reduce sexual drive in men at risk for sexual offending.
Abstract
The article briefly reviews castration; traces the history of the use of medications to reduce sexual drive, focusing on the antiandrogens; and discusses the controversy surrounding the use of antiandrogens as well as recent alternatives to their use, with an emphasis on legal and ethical issues. The clinical use of drugs to reduce the level of testosterone in sexual offenders is a natural outgrowth of experiences with surgical castration. Some researchers concluded that if castration, by reducing testosterone levels, was effective in reducing offense rates among sexual offenders, the chemical equivalent of castration should also be effective in reducing recidivism. However, this conclusion assumes a correlation between strength of sexual desire and testosterone level. Most of the empirical literature addresses the relation between testosterone level and aggressive behavior, not sexual behavior. One of the article's strongest conclusions is that antiandrogen medications should never be used as exclusive treatment for paraphilic and aggressive sexual behaviors. References