Chemical Castration Approved In Montana

Hoping to save money on prisons, Montana has become the second state to approve the use of “chemical castration” to reduce the sexual drive of sexual offenders who are about to be released from prison.

A similar program went into effect this year in California, where the law mandates that sex offenders convicted of child molestation for a second time be injected with a drug, usually Depo-Provera, that reduces testosterone levels, which in turn reduces sex drive.

The Montana law, which is to take effect Oct. 1, does not mandate injections but allows judges to impose them if an offender commits rape or incest for a second time, or if a first offense is particularly heinous.

The injections would begin a week before the offender is to be released from prison and would continue until the Montana Department of Corrections deems them no longer necessary - which could mean for life. Once the injections stop, the sex drive returns to previous levels.