The subject of our debate is the castration of rapists. The topic has attracted the interest of many people because of its seriousness. Castration is a very severe punishment and can affect a person for the rest of their life. The question then arises: does a human really deserve a punishment as severe as castration? Humans are prone to making many mistakes throughout their lives and it is these mistakes that shape them to become better people in the end. This leads me to believe that castrating rapists is a bad idea and should not be used as a source of punishment. My judgment on this issue can be supported by observing the recidivism rates of prisoners released from prison. According to a study carried out by the Bureau of Statistics in 2007, it showed that recidivism rates for rapists are the second lowest among all crimes committed by prisoners. Statistics show that thieves have a recidivism rate of 70.2%, burglars 74.0%, larceny 74.6%, motor vehicle thieves 78.8% and inmates who owned or sold stolen goods at a rate of 77.4%. The recidivism rate for rapists is 2.5 percent. This low rate suggests that prison time proves to be sufficient punishment for most rape convicts. Another factor that works in favor of prison time being a good punishment is the treatment of rapists in prison. Rapists are frowned upon in society and even more so in prison. The inmates show immense hatred and disrespect towards the convicts who commit this horrible crime. These inmates are generally isolated in individual cells to prevent them from facing any danger from the rest of the prison population. False accusations are another key reason why the rapist should not be castrated for punishment. There are many cases around the world where a person is falsely accused of rape due to personal issues they might have with that particular person. Rape differs from most other crimes because of its connection to sexual intercourse. Sex can be consensual or forced. The only person who has a say in this situation is the victim, but how do we know if this information is true? A case that serves as a prime example of the problem is that of Elizabeth Paige Coast in Virginia. In this case, she accused Jonathon Montgomery of having raped her the year of 2000.