[citation][nom]jellico[/nom]Here is the problem I have with the whole child porn thing. This stuff is all over the Internet, from all over the world. Many people who are found with such images on their computer are actually innocent and didn't even know it was there (usually a result of malware infection). However, because it is classified as contraband (meaning it is illegal to have it regardless of knowledge or intent), these people either end up in jail or must spend tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to prove their innocence. One need only look at the visceral reaction of previous posters to see what sort of reception a jury would give them. I suspect these attitudes would be a lot different if the roles were reverse.Another problem is that, people who download regular porn might still find themselves running afoul of the law. Movies made in other countries where the age of consent is lower would be considered child porn over here, even though the performers may not appear to be under 18. Can you tell the difference between a 16, 17 and 18 year old? I sure as hell can't. I know this one woman who works at the day care my son goes to. I saw her with her 9 year old daughter and I thought the woman was the little girl's older sister! She's like 29 and she looks 14! Likewise, I've seen many sub-18 girls who easily look like they are in their mid 20s.Yet another problem, teens making videos of themselves either nude or having sex with their girl/boy friends. Yes, this is quintessentially stupid, but I don't think it should be a police matter. The whole point of the law is to protect those who cannot protect themselves from exploitation. I think it is asinine, and a perversion of the law to prosecute members of the protected class who, clearly, are stupid but not exploited.The bottom line is this, just like the drug war, we should focus less on the "users" and more on the production end of it. Rather than squandering valuable resources on prosecuting someone for possession who might very well be innocent (no priors and no such indications from friends or family), we should be focusing on the pieces of crap wrapped in human skin who MAKE this material! The people that actually victimize children are the ones who should receive all of the punishments detailed by previous posters.[/citation]
Actually in Australia a few months ago I read some articles were the police, in conjunction with other countries (I recall Germany) busted a whole pedo RING. So what they do is not just go after the end users but crack the supply ring as well (much the sames as drugs enforcement).
What we are reading about here are end users who have shown up with stuff. What they should probably do is put a tracker on his net connection and find out where he gets it from instead of busting him right away.
This is the only way to crack the supply ring.