A UK REVIEW of sentencing has recommended exploring chemical castration for sex offenders as a way of reducing reoffending.

“One of our recommendations is that we think that we should continue to explore this, this is drugs that reduces sexual desire,” independent reviewer David Gauke told Sky News.

“It’s not appropriate for every sexual offender, and the evidence base for this does need to be built up.”

A small pilot under way in the south west of England could be expanded, he said.

An independent sentencing review led by former justice secretary Gauke is bringing forward recommendations to overhaul the prisons system to make space in jails for most dangerous offenders amid a capacity crisis.

There are five key proposals put forward by Gauke which are expected to cut the prison population by around 9,800.

On the recommondation around exploring chemical castration, he said: 

“I’m not going to claim it’s the answer for everything. This is about reducing the risk of reoffending in future. There are some sex offenders who want to reduce their desires. And if we can explore this, I think that is something that’s worthwhile.”

Asked if this would be used instead of keeping sex offenders in prison, he added “The point being is at some point almost every prisoner will be released. We have to look across the system at doing everything we can do to minimise the risk of reoffending. You cannot remove that risk altogether.”

Good behaviour

The wider review published today is set to recommend introducing an “earned progression model” inspired by reforms in Texas.

Under the scheme, prisoners could be released earlier for good behaviour and be supervised on licence for a period of their sentence.

They would then remain unsupervised in the community for the final period of their sentence, but could be recalled to prison if they commit another crime.

Violent or sexual offenders who are serving sentences of four years or more could be released into the community on licence after spending half of their sentence behind bars, or longer if they do not comply with prison rules.

The review also suggested for the most dangerous offenders on extended sentences to be eligible for parole at half-way through their sentence, instead of two-thirds, if they earn credits to take part in rehabilitation activities in prison.

They would only be released if the Parole Board decided it was safe to do so.

The UK government is expected to accept the review’s key measures, but reject earlier release for the most dangerous cohort.

On deportations, Gauke 

Gauke said there are recommendations in his sentencing review to send foreign offenders back to their countries.

He told Sky News: “If a foreign national offender is sentenced to less than three years, then we argue that they should be deported, as soon as possible.

“If they’ve got a sentence that is more than three years, so a particularly serious offence, we can deport them but there is absolutely no guarantee unless there’s a prison transfer agreement in place with another country that that offender will go into prison. They could well be then free, walking the streets.”

He added: “If we just deport them, whatever the length of their sentence, they could be walking free. And I don’t think that would be fair on victims. I don’t think that would be right for society as a whole.