Child Molester, in Bid for Lighter Sentence, Volunteers to Be Castrated

A child molester is going to have himself castrated--with the $5,000 cost covered by anonymous donors--in hopes of winning a lighter sentence.

“I challenge anyone to demonstrate a more tangible example of remorse,” Jeffrey Morse’s attorney, Paul B. Wharton, said Friday.

Morse, 30, of suburban Schaumburg, volunteered for castration even before his conviction on charges of molesting a 12-year-old girl in 1996 and trying to attack an 11-year-old girl last year. He was accused of luring his victims into his car.

Circuit Court Judge R. Peter Grometer granted the request Thursday, allowing Morse a one-day furlough from jail to have the surgery. It is expected to take place within a week.

Morse could get from six to more than 100 years in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 24. Judge Donald Hudson, who will sentence Morse, has not said whether he would take the surgery into account.

Wharton said he has arranged for an anonymous group of doctors to perform the operation. He said the idea is to lower Morse’s sex drive.

Dr. John Mulhall, director of the Center for Male Sexual Health at the Loyola University Medical Center, said there’s no guarantee the operation will prevent Morse from molesting children.

Studies from Germany, where castration is an approved procedure, show that it reduces the recidivism rate from 50% to 3%, said Michael Bailey, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University.