n/a
I don’t know if it would for sure, but considering how accepted it is that the availability of pornography decreases various kinds of sex crimes, then it seems at least possible that some sort of outlet (not child porn or anything that harms children, obviously) for pedophiles might actually reduce their likelihood of abusing children.
I assume that, like most things, there are gray areas – there are pedophiles who would never harm children and only fantasize; there are pedophiles who have no conscience and will happily harm children; and there are pedophiles in between with strong desires and some sort of conscience but perhaps not enough to always stop them from harming children. If erotic stories and/or CGI child-porn and/or adult porn with actors who look like children (or something else) would reduce the likelihood of this last group harming children, then it seems like a no brainer to me.
At the very least, if we honestly want to protect children, then it would seem to me that this is an option that should be explored by law enforcement and psychologists.
I have heard claims of correlation between the availability of pornography and decreases in sex crimes, but not proof of cause and effect. I’ve never heard of any evidence that indicates that pedophiles are less likely to commit sex crimes when child pornography is available. If you know of such information I’d be interested in seeing it.
I don’t, and I’m not certain of this by any means. I’m just suggesting that it seems like a reasonable possibility, and that if something strange like this would have the potential to reduce the risk of harm to children, then it would seem to me that we should swallow our distaste and consider it.
It’s better if we can prevent them happening the first time, isn’t it?
If there was an option that would truly help people with these urges harming anyone at all that might prevent some abuse.
As the should have.
Castration does not make abuse impossible. It might lower sex drive, but there’s no guarantee it would eliminate it. There are historical instances of operatic castrati engaging in sexual affairs. If you completely carved off the genitals it still wouldn’t prevent someone from molesting a child with other body parts or inanimate objects.
Castration is a quickie feel-good answer that doesn’t really solve the problem and it doesn’t make a molester safe.
That is entirely possible. Probably some did fit that description.
^ This.
I’d like there to be research in ways of treating sexual disorders like pedophilia or serial rape. That’s not just for the sake of the criminal (although I’d rather rehabilitate than warehouse criminals) but for the rest of society.
Like castration, that in no way guarantees a criminal will be made safe enough to release.
Would you have a problem with society finding a means to help such people resist their urges?
We don’t know what else could be done because no one is researching the problem. If we could, genuinely, reduce or eliminate those urges in someone then yes, they would be less likely to harm children. It’s done to protect society, not make things easier for the pedophiles. For all I know such methods might be very inconvenient for the pedophile, but if they are, too bad - their rights end where the rights of others to leave free of abuse begin.
There is currently a reddit thread related to this subject. Apparently Germany has a program for pedophiles and has a commercial to attract volunteers.
Also linked was an interesting article of teenage non-offending pedophiles.(I read the beginning of the article, not really my type of leisure time reading)
https://medium.com/matter/youre-16-youre-a-pedophile-you-dont-want-to-hurt-anyone-what-do-you-do-now-e11ce4b88bdbAlso a This American Life also has an episode on the subject
Complex issue. I figure it’s on the list of things another country will puzzle out.
I think the best bet for a non-offending pedophile interested in receiving help would be to travel elsewhere to find it. Unfortunately that’s kinda what many in the US would prefer rather than trying to help their fellow man.
You can protect children from predation if you like, but how can that possibly compare to the emotional satisfaction of punishing evildoers? /s
It’s hard not to, however, when sexual orientation re-alignment therapy is mentioned. Saying that they might try to re-direct their instincts is a close echo of what was practiced, in the past, with gays and their instincts.
The actual instincts are different, but there is a haunting similarity in how society reacts to them.
I don’t have a clue… But if it were so obscene as to be banned in the U.S., then being hosted from abroad wouldn’t be a defense. The courts would bar domestic service providers from carrying the data.
This doesn’t stop all illegal content, obviously. There are ways around it. Peer-to-peer file sharing, and other forms of stealth, are damn hard for the law to stop. Good old sneaker-net is all but unstoppable. But 4Chan is so very, very overt!
I love the idea. We’d be able to use the simulation to do all sorts of illegal things. We’d have first-person-shooter games, where you use the holodeck to simulate murder. There would be rape sims. There would be quirky things like scat sims and bestiality sims and surgery (ew!) sims.
I could see an argument that all such sims should have some key feature that distinguishes it from absolute reality. A level of pixel resolution, or a “watermark” or some other key, just so people don’t get too lost.
(I don’t want anyone to commit a crime, and say, “Oh my God! Reality? I thought I was still in the holodeck!”)
By the way, just checking out 4Chan, I found a link to inflatable sex toys made to resemble children. Specifically, made to resemble anime children. As with inflatable “sheep” sex toys, I believe these should be completely legal. And I hope the users wash them once in a while!
In addition, there are many misconceptions about pedophilia:
The best estimates are that between 1% and 5% of men are pedophiles, meaning that they have a dominant attraction to prepubescent children.
It is a deep-rooted predisposition — limited almost entirely to men — that becomes clear during puberty and does not change.
Like men attracted to adults, nearly all pedophiles respond most strongly to one gender or the other — females far more often than males.
In searching for causes of pedophilia, researchers have largely dismissed the popular belief that abuse in childhood plays an important role. Studies show that few victims grow up to be abusers, and only about a third of offenders say they were molested.
Not all pedophiles molest children. Nor are all child molesters pedophiles. Studies show that about half of all molesters are not sexually attracted to their victims. They often have personality disorders or violent streaks, and their victims are typically family members.
By contrast, pedophiles tend to think of children as romantic partners and look beyond immediate relatives. They include chronic abusers familiar from the headlines — Catholic priests, coaches and generations of Boy Scout leaders.
Other pedophiles are "good people who are struggling," said Dr. Fred Berlin, a psychiatrist who heads the Johns Hopkins Sexual Behaviors Consultation Unit. “They’re tortured souls fighting like heck not to do this. We do virtually nothing in terms of reaching out to these folks. We drive it underground.”
It doesn’t make sense to not want to try to help people who are struggling with it.
It should also be noted that half of all molesters are not pedophiles - different motive, likely different circumstances. They require a different approach.
But evenso, still illegal to have CG CP right? Which is a shame because giving pedophiles access to CG child porn images may reduce the rates of actual sex crimes against children.
It would be great if everyone responded to their sexual urges in a sensible and rational way, and did what they were *supposed *to do. But if they did, we wouldn’t be having this problem in the first place.
Agreed. I only answered the question as it was posed: what are they “supposed” to do?
“See a therapist” is another good answer.
As per the PROTECT Act, that is if your CG is “indistinguishable” from real. Mind you, the Law does not explicitly describe how/by whom is the call made that it is indistinguishable and AFAIK that part has never been tested in a live court. At least to me, right now what’s out there in the pornsphere as CG porn is not indistinguishable and thus is merely ***still ***subject to obscenity claims as are all other formats. IMO, IANAL, YMMV, etc. of course.
Thank you for all the discussion. I feel much better knowing that the general opinion on at least the Dope is that it’s a complicated issue and that we should actually care at least a little about people who are stuck with these urges that are illegal to carry though on. The people that were part of the RL discussion that made me bring up this topic will likely still think I must be a pedophile for “defending” them, but I really don’t care what they think of me.
This has already been answered, but to clarify: the problem with acting on pedophilic impulses is not that it is illegal, the problem is that it is flat wrong. Gay sex is not wrong, even where it is illegal.
Why not at least give it a try? Properly handled, there is nothing to lose and much to gain. To be clear, I am talking about either allowing non-harmful outlets (such as the CGI porn that has been suggested), or research into possible treatments, and therapy, which could at least be directed towards making pedophiles recognize the reality of the harm they would do if they acted on their impulses.
One of the most astonishing things anyone has ever said was that pedophiles are so offensive, they shouldn’t even be given a trial, but just shot on the spot.
I suspect the person saying that would feel differently if falsely accused of child molestation. (It sure would be a good way of getting rid of business rivals!)
Or a vagina, for that matter.
Well maybe but I read a book about an FBI agent who infiltrated NAMBLA and said he was so disgusted at what these men were saying that he truly wanted to vomit or take out a gun and kill the lot. He also said that afterwards he had to go home and sit under a shower to get the sick feeling off of him. And this was coming from someone who’s investigated alot of sex crimes. So frankly I dont think you would find many sympathetic therapists or doctors who would want to work with them.
These are people who have gone into the pits of hell and are so messed up there is nothing that can be done for them.
Hey, possibly. Not something that I agree with off the bat, but, for the sake of argument, let’s say possibly.
The point of more research, more openness and possible alternative outlets is to get to potential child molesters *before *they go into the pits of hell.
If, as seems likely, these members of NAMBLA were active child molesters, then they are not the ones I am talking about helping. I am talking about those who want to resist their urges, and who may need help doing so.
Even so, once captured and imprisoned, active child molesters could still do some good in the world by submitting to therapy and to research to uncover, if possible, the roots of their obsession. Not that this should shorten their sentences or ease their punishments, but it might help their psyches in the long run. Many are probably beyond help, as you say, but possibly not all of them.
And for the record, I think it is probably a mistake to extrapolate from cops to doctors and therapists on almost any issue. Both groups generally comprise mostly worthy people, but their focus in life is completely different.