RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Beginning July 1 last year, people convicted of possession of child porn were subject to more lenient punishments after sentencing guidelines for the charge were reduced.
“We think that that decision is irresponsible; it affects public safety,” said Camille Cooper with the National Association to Protect Children. Full Article
Too lenient, really? For an article about leniency not one mention of a sentence received is provided. Instead some random stats regarding what images or videos supposedly depict in cases are listed as reasons for maintaining harsher sentences. I am not going to defend materials featuring those under 12 being penetrated, however I am also not going to assume that each person under 12 is still prepubescent. Not that an 11 year old or younger who has started puberty should be engaging in any sexual activity, but it has happened. The one thing that matters is if someone under 12 is pubescent then certain aspects of a possession charge, particularly some enhancements must be approached differently. Despite what many might believe age in addition to puberty can mean a lot of difference between one sentence range and another sentence range.
Prosecuting someone for possessing anything that can meet the minimum requirements for classification as child pornography does not protect children (anyone under eighteen according to federal law), does not hinder production, does not prevent trafficking or slavery, and has no impact on preventing another person from coming across the same or similar content for the first time in the future.
The Feds Operated a Kiddie porn site for a week or two and put 10s of thousands of pictures and Videos
on the web, will they also be prosecuted.