An immodest proposal
At a time when Islamic ideas on penolo- gy are going out of fashion in the Sudan, where the government has recently discontinued the practice of amputating the hands and feet of convicted thieves, it must give hope to enthusiasts of barbarism to learn that in Britain Terry Dicks MP has developed the idea of a preventive punish- ment for rapists. He wants them castrated. Mr Dicks is a Conservative: this may explain why he has not enlarged on his idea. But much could be made of it. Mr Dicks believes that a rapist who has been sent to prison may repeat the offence when he gets out. A rapist who has been cas- trated cannot. This may be true, though if a rapist is motivated by aggression rather than lust — as most of the nastiest ones seem to be — he could no doubt as a eunuch think up even more unpleasant sexual degredations than rape. But assum- ing that Mr Dicks is right, why stop with rapists? An inveterate wife-beater could have his hands chopped off. There is nothing much to fear from a pair of stumps. White-collar criminals should be decapitated, since they use their heads, and MPs who have already lost their heads ought, if they persist in making foolish speeches, to have their tongues cut out. The Speaker should convene a conference on this most effective way of restoring his authority, and summon Mr Dicks to give : expert evidence.
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