The bitter taste of impunity
The failings of the Greek penal system and the obvious and persistent shortcomings of criminal legislation that changes with alarming frequency have had a decided impact on the way that the perpetrators of heinous crimes such as rape and sexual assault, and against children especially, are treated.
The story of the 12-year-old girl who fell into the clutches of pedophiles and pimps has shocked public opinion and, unsurprisingly, revived concerns about whether the people who commit such crimes are adequately punished and whether citizens’ need for justice is served.
Responding to this climate of anger and frustration from a large section of public over this particular crime and others similar to it, Interior Minister Makis Voridis suggested the introduction of chemical castration for rapists, and especially those convicted of sexually abusing children. His suggestion provoked reactions, as was also expected, and the Justice Ministry officially responded that such an option is not being considered.
Nevertheless, the idea is out there now, and the conversation has started. Even though it is only at the theoretical level, its momentum is a strong indication that the sentences passed down for such serious crimes fall very short of adequate punishment and leave a bitter taste of impunity in the public’s mouth.
More importantly, though, there is a serious discrepancy that encourages this sense of impunity with the fact that the convictions passed down by courts often prove to be little more than gestures, as perpetrators sentenced to 15 years serve six, at least until the latest amendment, which increased that time to nine years.
The same is the case with life terms. Under the new penal code, people convicted of raping a minor are sentenced to life behind bars, but they serve up to 18 years at the most before they are released. It is this discrepancy between sentences and time served that is stirring public sentiment and prompting conversations about alternative punishments, if chemical castration – which is applied in many countries in the European Union, usually voluntarily – is regarded as such.
Before we make the leap to chemical castration, however, would it perhaps make more sense to change the law so that actual time served was time sentenced? So that people convicted of a crime feel the full weight of their punishment? And then, if these changes fail to yield results, we can discuss measures like chemical castration.
