Bibliometric analysis of literature on medical (chemical) castration practices for sexual crimes and offenders: A web of science-based study

Mümtaz Dadalı; Arif Hüdai Köken; Nüket Örnek Büken

doi:10.26900/hsq.2935

Authors

Mümtaz Dadalı Kırşehir Ahi Evran University / Türkiye 0000-0001-9818-444X
Arif Hüdai Köken Kırşehir Ahi Evran University / Türkiye 0000-0003-2188-4741
Nüket Örnek Büken Hacettepe University / Türkiye 0000-0001-9166-6569

10.26900/hsq.2935

Abstract

This study aims to examine the international literature on medical (chemical) castration practices applied to sex offenders through a bibliometric analysis. Based on data from the Web of Science Core Collection, a total of 61 scientific publications published between 1947 and 2025 were analyzed. The publications were evaluated in terms of distribution by year, country, institution, author profiles, publishing journals, number of citations, keyword networks, and their relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings indicate a marked increase in academic interest in chemical castration, particularly since the 2010s. The topic is predominantly addressed within the fields of psychiatry, law, criminology, and ethics, encompassing multidimensional debates that go beyond the control of individual sexual impulses-such as human rights, voluntariness, informed consent, and the limits of state intervention. Moreover, the literature reveals differing views regarding the serious side effects associated with the treatment, the coercive nature of the practice, and its ethical dilemmas. The study concludes that knowledge production in this area is geographically centered in the West and exhibits an interdisciplinary character. The bibliometric data provide a guiding foundation for future ethical, legal, and political discussions and research.

Keywords:

Androgen suppression therapy chemical castration sex offenders bibliometric analysis ethics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Berlin FS. Sex offender treatment and legislation. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2003;31(4):510-3.

2. Houts FW, Taller I, Tucker DE, Berlin FS. Androgen deprivation treatment of sexual behavior. Adv Psychosom Med. 2011;31:149-63. doi: 10.1159/000330196.

3. Thibaut F, Cosyns P, Fedoroff JP, Briken P, Goethals K, Bradford JMW, et al. The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) 2020 guidelines for the pharmacological treatment of paraphilic disorders. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2020;21(6):412-90. doi: 10.1080/15622975.2020.1744723.

4. Money J. Treatment guidelines: Antiandrogen and counseling of paraphilic sex offenders. J Sex Marital Ther. 1987;13(3):219-23. doi: 10.1080/00926238708403894.

5. Briken P, Kafka MP. Pharmacological treatments for paraphilic patients and sexual offenders. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2007;20(6):609-13. doi: 10.1097/YCO.0b013e3282f0eb0b.

6. Schmucker M, Lösel F. Does sexual offender treatment work? A systematic review of outcome evaluations. Psicothema. 2008;20(1):10-9.

7. Scott CL, Holmberg T. Castration of sex offenders: Prisoners’ rights versus public safety. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2003;31(4):502-9.

8. World Medical Association. WMA statement on forced and coerced sterilisation. 2023. Available from: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-statement-on-forced-and-coerced-sterilisation/. (Accessed on Jan 07, 2026).

9. Giltay EJ, Gooren LJG. Potential side effects of androgen deprivation treatment in sex offenders. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2009;37(1):53-8.

10. Donthu N, Kumar S, Mukherjee D, Pandey N, Lim WM. How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. J Bus Res. 2021;133:285-96. doi: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070.

11. Gonçalves LC, Gerth J, Rossegger A, Noll T, Endrass J. Predictive validity of the Static-99 and Static-99R in Switzerland. Sex Abus J Res Treat. 2020;32(2):203-19. doi: 10.1177/1079063218821117.

12. Akcanbaş M. Ethical analysis of chemical castration [in Turkish]. Üsküdar University Journal of Social Sciences. 2019;8:115-49.

13. World Medical Association. WMA declaration of Helsinki: Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. 2024. Available from: https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki/. (Accessed on Jan 07, 2026).

14. TC Resmi Gazete. Cinsel Dokunulmazlığa Karşı Suçların Hükümlü Olanlara Uygulanacak Tedavi ve Diğer Yükümlüler Hakkında Yönetmelik. (26.07.2016; Sayı: 29782). Available from: https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2016/07/20160726-1.htm. (Accessed on Jan 07, 2026).

15. Douglas T, Bonte P, Focquaert F, Devolder K, Sterckx S. Coercion, incarceration, and chemical castration: An argument from autonomy. J Bioeth Inq. 2013;10(3):393-405. doi: 10.1007/s11673-013-9465-4.

16. Tong R. Towards a feminist global ethics. Glob Bioeth. 2022;33(1):14-31. doi: 10.1080/11287462.2021.2011002.