Thousands of sex offenders could be offered libido-suppressing drugs in UK prisons

Voluntary use of the suppression medication is set to roll out to 20 prisons, with Government sources saying Andy Burnham and the Labour Government are keen to expand the voluntary use of the drug to help ease prison overcrowding.

However, ministers are reevaluating whether to continue with Shabana Mahmood’s plan to chemically castrate paedophiles and rapists.

The use of medication is currently a pilot programme; the medication to manage problematic sexual arousal treatment pathway (MMPSA) will be expanded from 10 to 20 prisons in November.

The expansion will see the medication rolled out in the north west and north east, as well as where it is currently used in south-west England.

The pathway is meant to be used on sex offenders who have intrusive, persistent and intense sexual thoughts, persistent arousal, and unhealthy sexual urges and behaviours.

Prisoners on the trial are offered drugs, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which help to limit intrusive thoughts, as well as anti-androgens, which reduce the production of testosterone and limit libido.

Currently, around 15,000 prisoners in England and Wales are serving a sentence for a sexual offence, with more than 850 men a month arrested on suspicion of online child sexual abuse offences.

Professor Belinda Winder has said that the wider rollout would see one in four offenders, equating to 3,750 prisoners, being considered for the treatment.

She told The Guardian: “They [the Ministry of Justice] could be ready in December 2028 to roll the programme out if the interim findings look useful.

“I am optimistic that a properly resourced, voluntary national MMPSA pathway could ultimately be developed … A good national service needs appropriately trained clinicians, clear referral routes, appropriate psychological support alongside medication.”

Last year, while she was Justice Secretary, Ms Mahmood told MPs she was exploring the national rollout of voluntary chemical castration and exploring making it mandatory.

Professor Winder continued: “A mandatory approach would require screening a very large prison population to identify the much smaller group for whom treatment might actually be appropriate; it would have substantial clinical and resource implications.

“Trying to impose and monitor daily medication among people who do not necessarily want to take it could be extremely inefficient. It could also introduce a range of consequences that we simply do not yet understand, including effects on trust, disclosure, engagement and the therapeutic relationship.”

She rejected the phrasing "chemical castration" for the drugs, saying: “People say that because some people like the idea of castrating people who commit sexual offences.

“But these drugs are not permanent, unlike castration, and must be taken consistently to work.”

Prison campaigners have urged caution around a national rollout of the drug-suppressing drugs, highlighting other health issues the long-term suppression of testosterone can cause.

Andrew Neilson, the director of campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “The history of prison-based treatment programmes in this area has proven troubled, which is both a reason for exploring alternatives but also a reason to exercise caution before expanding new approaches more widely. It’s also important that nobody is forced into these chemical interventions and that participation is truly voluntary.”

Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the prison officers’ union the POA, said: “Anything that potentially protects the public is welcome but I would be cautious about the rollout until we are in receipt of evidence that proves success.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “This Government is determined to tackle the root causes of sex offending, which is why we’re working at pace to extend the existing pilot to a further two regions.”