Today BBC reports: Scientists say distinct differences in the brain activity of paedophiles have been found using scanning technology.
For me it rises an interesting question - if paedophilia is not a result of a persons disregard to other people's rights but a mental disorder, do we have a right to charge the person criminally? Lock him/her up for mandatory treatment - yes! But is the person really a criminal? After all, we don't punish mentally ill people for other crimes.
It is of course too early to make specific suggestions on criminal law, based on this research. But the development of brain scanning will probably lead us to that kind of difficult questions about consciousness in the near future.
For me it rises an interesting question - if paedophilia is not a result of a persons disregard to other people's rights but a mental disorder, do we have a right to charge the person criminally? Lock him/her up for mandatory treatment - yes! But is the person really a criminal? After all, we don't punish mentally ill people for other crimes.
It is of course too early to make specific suggestions on criminal law, based on this research. But the development of brain scanning will probably lead us to that kind of difficult questions about consciousness in the near future.
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