John Grisham: men who watch child porn are not all paedophiles [updated]

America is wrongly jailing far too many people for viewing child pornography, the best-selling legal novelist John Grisham has told The Telegraph in a wide-ranging attack on the US judicial system and the country’s sky-high prison rates.

Mr Grisham, 59, argued America’s judges had “gone crazy” over the past 30 years, locking up far too many people, from white collar criminals like the businesswoman Martha Stewart, to black teenagers on minor drugs charges and – he added – those who had viewed child porn online. Full Article

Update: A STATEMENT FROM JOHN GRISHAM

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Thank you, John Grisham, for speaking the truth about the absurdity of today’s sentences for the possession of child pornography. There are far too many people who have been incarcerated for far too long for this offense. It’s time for law enforcement to focus upon those who actually create and distribute it.

They are punishing the consumer who views this material as if they did something to a child. I can tell you that you get the same punishment for viewing an image that is 40 years old and the child is a grandfather/mother by now! Good god…that is insane!

That is very much like viewing scenes from a murder and being charged with the actual murder!

It is rear that a high profile individual suck as John Grisham will make a public statement such as this. I admire him even more now! Hopefully more people will see through the smoke screen of lies told about sex offenders and some sanity will finally prevail!

Here is a chance to take this conversation to a different forum. Unfortunately there are some very ignorant comments at this site, which is supposed to be a liberal site. Janice and others, would you all be willing to educate what I think is usually an intelligent, rational group of people?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014919562

The link above was locked to new comments but I agree – we need to get on news sites and support him!!

Man’s got books to sell…. oh well.

The article said that those who view the depictions of the abuse are “fueling the industry”. In the Washington Post article it said that those who view the abuse are “aiding and abetting” the abuse. I guess I don’t understand the mechanics of the viewing of the abuse. What exactly does the viewer do to assist in or support the abuse. I don’t understand.

at least he have a book to write about.
if he does I do hope that he write that RSO have the lowest reoffend rate

I’m not aware that Mr. Grisham ever wrote a book concerning a sex offender or a paedophile. Indeed, if he had done the research, he would have made the distiction between the prediction to be attracted to children, from criminal acts. Many paedophiles never engage in criminal acts. Instead of apologizing to those suffering from moral panic, I would dearly love to see him write a book concerning a sexual offender and do the research to make another great novel that sheds needed light on a class of people few understand.