Should violent criminals be castrated?

[Grockel]

The purpose of prison is to reform criminals, however this is not always possible. Many criminals repeatedly break the law and are undeterred by the prospect of punishment. There are several factors believed to contribute to criminal behavior, one important factor being high testosterone levels. It has been proven that testosterone is linked to aggression, in 1990 James Dabbs studied 4,462 men and concluded that "the overall picture among the high-testosterone men is one of delinquency, substance abuse and a tendency toward excess." Even in women, Dabbs found high testosterone levels were related to crimes of unprovoked violence. Statistically men commit significantly more crimes than women, specifically violent crimes.

We know that castration can drastically alter an animals behavior, most notably by reducing sex drive and aggression. Not all aggression is caused by testosterone, however the University of California found that in 60% of dogs aggression could be treated with castration. Castration also causes sterility which, considering the inability of prisoners to raise their children, may be an added bonus.

Violent criminals destroy their lives and the lives of others, is society not morally obliged to save them from themselves via castration?

[Impenitent]

bring back crucifixions

-Imp

[bobevenson]

The purpose of prison is to reform criminals.

Name me a single prison on the face of the Earth whose purpose is to reform criminals rather than punish them.

[The Voice of Time]

Should violent criminals be mutilated? Ehm. Only if you're a very violent person yourself you could ever want such a thing to be brought by force on other people.

You should get some bandage for that foot you just shot yourself in.

How many times must some screwed up people be faced with the fact that you can't keep up a high quality of society by violating the very principles you seek to defend ^^ it's highly degrading to society when instead of understanding that people always become what they become for a reason and that they need help to find a suitable relationship with society, instead of that, people make its members enemies of society, outcasts for their mistakes, and selects out the morally (or legally) successive, bringing about an anxiety and fear to all of society to commit mistakes, and instead of working together it becomes a society of inner conflict.

[bobevenson]

As a prophet, I can tell you that prisons of any kind should be immediately abolished. If somebody commits a crime, the government can take one of the following three actions:

Punishment
a) For revenge (serves no positive purpose).
b) For rehabilitation (unsupported by psychological evidence).
c) For deterrence (government exploitation).

Restitution
Unequal protection under the law.

Control
Positive action designed to prevent recurrence.

The only proper action is control.

[SpheresOfBalance]

The purpose of prison is to reform criminals, however this is not always possible. Many criminals repeatedly break the law and are undeterred by the prospect of punishment. There are several factors believed to contribute to criminal behavior, one important factor being high testosterone levels. It has been proven that testosterone is linked to aggression, in 1990 James Dabbs studied 4,462 men and concluded that "the overall picture among the high-testosterone men is one of delinquency, substance abuse and a tendency toward excess." Even in women, Dabbs found high testosterone levels were related to crimes of unprovoked violence. Statistically men commit significantly more crimes than women, specifically violent crimes.

We know that castration can drastically alter an animals behavior, most notably by reducing sex drive and aggression. Not all aggression is caused by testosterone, however the University of California found that in 60% of dogs aggression could be treated with castration. Castration also causes sterility which, considering the inability of prisoners to raise their children, may be an added bonus.

Violent criminals destroy their lives and the lives of others, is society not morally obliged to save them from themselves via castration?

No! Definitely NO! The reason people commit violent crimes is because of their environment, fueled by a lack of education, as one knows not how to escape such environments.

All should lead by example, what kind of example can be found by taking someone and making them your slave, by cutting their gonads off or otherwise. People that kill are obviously insane and require understanding, not more of an environment that further leads them astray. You're telling them that in fact there are reasons to take and hurt someone, something they've obviously already been shown. There are no bad children, only bad parents. They should be reclaimed, not further punished.

[bobevenson]

People that kill are obviously insane.

How can you say that killers are insane when killing is the basis of evolution itself, and none of us would even be here without it.

[Grockel]

The purpose of prison is to reform criminals.

Name me a single prison on the face of the Earth whose purpose is to reform criminals rather than punish them.

Punishment is a type of reform. You punish a child to alter it's behavior, not for revenge (I hope). The problem is it often doesn't work on criminals which is why they re-offend.

[bobevenson]

People that kill are obviously insane.

How can you say that killers are insane when killing is the basis of evolution itself, and none of us would even be here without it.

The purpose of prison is to reform criminals.

Name me a single prison on the face of the Earth whose purpose is to reform criminals rather than punish them.

Punishment is a type of reform. You punish a child to alter it's behavior, not for revenge (I hope). The problem is it often doesn't work on criminals which is why they re-offend.

I don't believe you can cite any authoritative studies that conclude punishment is a type of reform; it is a type of abuse, pure and simple, and rarely, if ever, accomplishes anything positive.

[SpheresOfBalance]

People that kill are obviously insane.

How can you say that killers are insane when killing is the basis of evolution itself,
Not a basis at all.
and none of us would even be here without it.
You cannot possibly say this with any real degree of certainty.

[bobevenson]

People that kill are obviously insane.

How can you say that killers are insane when killing is the basis of evolution itself,
Not a basis at all.
and none of us would even be here without it.
You cannot possibly say this with any real degree of certainty.

What do you think evolution is based upon? It's survival of the fittest, and that means not getting eaten up (or killed) by other animals who are fitter. Sorry to have deflated your delusional and/or creationist bubble.

[SpheresOfBalance]

People that kill are obviously insane.

...in Bob's message in red

How can you say that killers are insane when killing is the basis of evolution itself,
Not a basis at all.
and none of us would even be here without it.
You cannot possibly say this with any real degree of certainty.

What do you think evolution is based upon? It's survival of the fittest, and that means not getting eaten up (or killed) by other animals who are fitter. Sorry to have deflated your delusional and/or creationist bubble.

No, more appropriately, survival of the more: advanced, capable, cooperative, learned, suited, adaptive, etc.
However Bob you seem to forget that a one celled animal is quite different than a human. Much advancement, etc. (see additional data above), has gone into a human, so one can hardly compare the two extremes or any variation in between. What is it, to not only, be a life-form in this universe, but yet, to be capable of seeing, itself and all other life-forms with the greatest of ease and clarity, even if still on the long journey of doing so. Non-Killing is what the king of species (advanced multi-celled animal), can only come too, otherwise, a one celled animal.

[bobevenson]

All life forms on Earth are related. Every plant and animal has a common ancestor. Killing is as natural to mankind as it is to every other organism. Swat a fly, kill a relative. Take an antibiotic, kill a million relatives. What's so terrible about killing, you find it everywhere. Even Venus flytraps do it.

[SpheresOfBalance]

All life forms on Earth are related. Every plant and animal has a common ancestor. Killing is as natural to mankind as it is to every other organism. Swat a fly, kill a relative. Take an antibiotic, kill a million relatives. What's so terrible about killing, you find it everywhere. Even Venus flytraps do it.

And now you've forgotten that you were talking about EVOLUTION, which is change over TIME.

[bobevenson]

All life forms on Earth are related. Every plant and animal has a common ancestor. Killing is as natural to mankind as it is to every other organism. Swat a fly, kill a relative. Take an antibiotic, kill a million relatives. What's so terrible about killing, you find it everywhere. Even Venus flytraps do it.

And now you've forgotten that you were talking about EVOLUTION, which is change over TIME.

Throughout billions of years of evolution, the primary motivational force has been kill, kill, kill, reaching its exhilarating climax in 1945 at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.