Plans to use mandatory chemical castration on serious sexual offenders

Serious sex offenders could face mandatory chemical castration under plans set to be agreed by the justice secretary to help ease overcrowded prisons.

- DAVID MADDOX, ANDY GREGORY & ARCHIE MITCHELL

The scheme comes as a review has suggested that sex offenders and violent criminals could be freed from prison after serving half their sentence under radical plans to overhaul the justice system.

The recommendations from former Tory justice secretary David Gauke could see criminals who have committed violent or sexual crimes, and are sentenced to more than four years, released on parole at the halfway point.

Under the plans inspired by reforms in Texas, well-behaved prisoners serving sentences of less than four years could also be released after a third of their term in a bid to free up muchneeded space in overcrowded jails.

And the government is considering expanding a trial from some prisons in southwest England to use voluntary chemical castration to cut reoffending among sexual offenders. is also considering making chemical castration mandatory.

Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood told the House of Commons yesterday that she will go further and expand the pilot to build evidence and “make sure that we are using every tool at our disposal that can cut reoffending”. The government has not confirmed which regions or prisons will be part of the widened pilot scheme.

“I’m not squeamish about taking these further measures,” she said. “I will make sure that that is what happens.”

She also told the Commons she was “exploring whether mandating the approach is possible”, saying: “It is vital that this approach is taken alongside psychological interventions that target other causes of offending, like asserting power and control,” she added.