Should Pedophiles Be Tortured ?

I am writing this article in a responds to the following picture and message someone posted on Facebook:

There are a lot of people who wish that pedophiles would be dealt with in such a manner – totally dehumanizing and stigmatizing the person with feelings towards those under 18.

But I think we have to take in consideration a big difference: there is a large group of people who feel attraction towards children, that do not act on it. And it is not because they see a child, that this immediately gives them an erection – the same way as a straight guy does not get an erection with every woman that he sees on the street. There is a big group that experiences these emotions and desires, but does not act upon it, because they do not want to do such harm to children.

I have heard people experiencing attraction towards younger children from a young age , so I wondered: is there something biological connected to this urge?

A study was Published in ‘Sexual Abuse: A journal of Research and Treatment” – which suggests that pedophiles have been exposed to pre-birth conditions that affected their physical development.

The study found that pedophilic males were shorter on average than males without a sexual attraction to children. The researchers observed this height difference by analyzing the files of over 1,000 men who were assessed for pedophilia or other sexual disorders between 1995 and 2006 at the Kurt Freund Laboratory in Toronto, Canada.

“This research does not mean that pedophiles are not criminally responsible for their behavior,” said Dr. James Cantor, CAMH Psychologist and lead researcher on the study, “but the discovery of biological markers for pedophilia has important implications for future study and possibly treatment.”
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/86364.php

Other new research said that pedophiles are born that way.

Some of this new theory about pedophilia comes from studies on convicted sex offenders.  It was done at the Criminal Center for Mental Health and Addiction in Toronto.

Here are just a few things they found: a large number of pedophiles are left-handed, at least an inch shorter than normal, about ten IQ points below average, and have less white matter in their brains.  Some scientists say those are all biological so pedophilia likely is as well.  Not everyone buys that though, even an actual sex offender.

This new research that calls pedophilia biological, a true sexual preference, says even those who haven’t committed a crime are pedophiles.  That’s between 1 and 5% of all men.
http://articles.kspr.com/2013-05-15/offenders_39289011

Other’s say it is not biological

“There are those that feel a lot of guilt and shame and despair over ways they’ve acted out and don’t want that to be a part of their life.” Christian counselor Josh Spurlock says, in some cases, they don’t have to be– those urges can go away.  That’s because he believes they have nothing to do with biology.

“In our experience with folks it’s been premature or young exposure to illicit pornographic material, early sexual experiences, traumatic sexual experiences at an early age,” he says of people with pedophilic tendencies he’s treated.

The Canadian researchers say just a third of offenders they studied where molested as children.  Pete says he was but doesn’t blame anyone except himself for what he did.  And to ensure he never does it again he continues to go to counseling by choice.
http://articles.kspr.com/2013-05-15/offenders_39289011

Addition:

 This new theory already has a following.  In Germany researchers ran a campaign to encourage men to seek treatment for pedophilia by saying “You are not guilty because of your sexual desire but you are responsible for your sexual behavior.”  More than 1,700 men responded.

There is also a website called “virtuous pedophiles,” an online forum for men who say they have been struggling with a lifelong attraction to children they’ve never acted on.

Talk therapy is still the most common treatment for pedophilia, whatever the cause, but Dr. Shifrin says medication to lower testosterone can also be prescribed to pedophiles.

I agree with the fact that they need treatment. Imagine if you would experience these feelings and do not want to experience them, but they still well up. And ofcourse people who actually have acted upon this urge and have for example raped children, should be locked away. But they also together with that should be treated, and certainly not put on the same line as people who have the desires but never act on them and would never hurt a child