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Darren Sharper, former NFL safety and convicted rapist, may be subject to strict supervision and penis monitoring (yes, penis monitoring) for the rest of his life, even after he's released from prison. Sharper has been convicted of drugging and raping numerous women in California, Nevada, Arizona and Louisiana. He will only be spending nine years in prison for his crimes in California, Nevada and Arizona as his sentences are concurrent. However, he is looking at a deal of strict monitoring in lieu of a 20-year sentence in Louisiana, if two New Orleans judges agree to it. Under this deal, he would be subject to intense supervision for the rest of his life, the New Orleans Advocate reports. Once released from prison, he would submit to GPS monitoring while on parole in California. When parole is over, he would be sent to Arizona where he would spend the the remainder of his days complying to a series of strict rules that, if broken, would land him back in prison.
Under the terms of the deal, Sharper would never be able to have another drink, go to another bar, have any online dating profiles or travel in excess of 50 miles away from his house without permission. He would also undergo sex offender treatment involving a weird sort of penis monitoring program called 'penile plethysmograph'. If Sharper were to break any of these rules, he would serve the 20-year Louisiana sentence and absolutely none of his time under this monitoring would count towards it.
This penis monitoring business is as weird as it sounds. Penile plethysmograph, as it is called, can work in one of two ways: either by placing an airtight cylinder over the penis and measuring the displacement of air, or by placing a strain gauge around the base of the penis and measuring any changes in the penis' circumference. Either method is meant to gauge when a man becomes aroused. It is also known as a 'phallometry' or, among more mature circles, a 'peter meter.' It has it roots in 1950s Czechoslovakia, when sexologist Kurt Freund advocated its use in gauging homosexual attraction. After WWII, Freund used the device to figure out if men were lying about being gay to avoid the draft. It has gone on to be used to test for pedophila and biastophilia, which is when a person is aroused by a lack of consent. In these instances, the subject is shown sexually explicit material to determine which images arouse him. Sex offenders often undergo a penile plethysmograph to figure out how likely they are to reoffend. There is some serious criticism about phallometry—including a person's ability to control their own erections as well as doubt as to its accuracy—but it is still bizarrely considered one of the most reliable ways to measure arousal.
Meanwhile, the College of William & Mary has kicked their alumnus Sharper out of their Hall of Fame, according to TMZ.
