Drug treatment is proposed to manage child sex offenders

doi:10.1136/bmj.39257.583310.BE

BMJ 2007;334:1343 (30 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.39257.583310.BE

News

Drug treatment is proposed to manage child sex offenders

Owen Dyer

London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

New proposals on the management of those who commit sexual offencesagainst children in England and Wales will include the use ofdrug treatments, said the home secretary, John Reid. The drugs,to reduce libido, would be given on a voluntary basis.

The drugs envisaged are of two types: antidepressants of theselective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class and hormonaltreatments designed to reduce testosterone concentrations.

Dr Reid also announced plans to allow limited disclosure ofsex offender status to parents or guardians. Parents and guardianswho are concerned that someone in contact with their child maybe a convicted sex offender can register their interest in thatperson with the police. Police and child protection workerswill then consider whether confirming that a person is a sexoffender is warranted, with a "presumption that this informationwill be disclosed" if the offender is deemed to be a risk. This. . . [Full text of this article]

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