Swiss researchers work on ‘paedophile detector’

A new brain test could help ID potential paedophiles Keystone

Forensic psychiatrists in Basel and Zurich are developing a brain test that could help identify paedophiles. Although testing is in the early stages, there are already concerns about how such results might be used.

The tests, led by Marc Graf, director of the forensic psychiatric clinic in Basel, involved 43 men: 20 who had been convicted of either consuming child pornography or abusing children, and 23 who had volunteered for the study.

Participants were connected to machines which measured responses in their brains and fingers while they performed assigned tasks. During the tasks the men were shown various photos – for example, of naked adults and children – and the machines measured how distracted they were and what exactly grabbed their attention.

The hope is that in future, the tests would be able to reduce uncertainty in the methods currently used to estimate how dangerous a paedophile is. Similar testing will take place in the psychiatric clinic at the University of Zurich. According to the leader of that clinic, Andreas Mokros, “It’s difficult to confirm paedophile tendencies if the subject is not willing to give information”.

Graf in Basel agreed, saying that if, during the course of therapy, somebody says that he no longer has fantasies about children, it’s hard to know whether he’s telling the truth.

According to research from North America, almost 60% of criminals convicted of child abuse were not in fact paedophiles. The tests could provide a chance for these convicts to demonstrate that they do not necessarily pose a risk to children if they are released.

The researchers hope that their test will one day be useful in criminal proceedings or in prison to significantly improve the objectivity of findings. But both Graf and Mokros are aware that, as Graf said, “We have to be very careful with this technological development. Such tests are not only ethically and morally, but also legally delicate.”