Child Pornography and Molestation

[fuzzis]

Debate on Child Pornography’s Link to Molesting (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/us/19sex.html?pagewanted=1)

...Those who are arrested on charges of possession or distribution of child pornography generally receive lighter sentences and shorter parole periods than sexual abusers. They do not fit any criminal stereotype; recent arrests have included politicians, police officers, teachers and businessmen.

“It’s crucial to understand the sexual history of all these offenders, because sometimes the crime they were arrested for is the tip of the iceberg, and does not reflect their real patterns and interests,” said Jill S. Levenson, an assistant professor of human services at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., and head of the ethics committee of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.

Previous studies, based on surveys of criminal records, estimated that 30 percent to 40 percent of those arrested for possessing child pornography also had molested children....

I have a really hard time remaining objective about this...thinking about it rationally, really considering the ramifications. I believe that those who do molest a child need to be locked up for the rest of their lives, first offense or no (and to go along with that, this story out of Jackson (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19838341/)). I'm not for things like Megan's Law and Jessica's Law because in the end, with recidivism rates being so incredibly high and more research coming out showing that these--people--cannot be rehabilitated, I believe that we risk our children's safety by creating an illusion of safety, a network of monitoring that is rather easy to evade.

I'm not sure...yet...whether I believe the same degree of harshness should be shown to those who look at kiddie porn. This study--which no one can figure out what to do with--says the percentage of those who look at child pornography and who also molest children is as high as 80%. But I can't help but think of the guy that I taught with who got busted for child porn. I'd swear on all that's holy that he never touched a child. Taught for 30 years...and while he gave me the creeps (when he was arrested, that was explained), I don't believe he crossed the line.

Gonna have to think about it some more.:confused:

[jkspatty]

There are some crimes that we should have absolute zero tolerence for....And harming a child is one of them!

[aaron]

To me, this is like a step in the road to doing a crime, like willingly harming animals for fun. They should be put on a watch list and have to report in for an extended period of time until they are deemed fit for society.

[jmack]

Child pornograph is bad enough but a child molestor should be locked up for a LONG time or maybe for life. From the moment a child is molested their childhood is lost forever.

[eyescene]

What would drive someone to want to look at naked children? I just don't get it!!! They are just kids for Christ sake!

*off topic*
Nor do I get why some females (teachers) are molesting young boys!!! What is this world coming too? Women who molest teenage boys should get the same punishment as any man.

[fuzzis]

There are some crimes that we should have absolute zero tolerence for....And harming a child is one of them!

I would say that for those who actually molest children you're right. I'm not so sure about just looking at kids for the thrill of it.

To me, this is like a step in the road to doing a crime, like willingly harming animals for fun. They should be put on a watch list and have to report in for an extended period of time until they are deemed fit for society.

I could agree with this, but we're none too good at monitoring those who are on "watch lists". We lose them, they lose us, we forget, they go about their merry way committing mayhem.

Child pornograph is bad enough but a child molestor should be locked up for a LONG time or maybe for life. From the moment a child is molested their childhood is lost forever.

I've been advocating life for quite some time. It feels a bit like the lone voice crying in the wilderness.

[jmack]

Nor do I get why some females (teachers) are molesting young boys!!! What is this world coming too? Women who molest teenage boys should get the same punishment as any man.

I have seen Leno and Kevin Eubanks make jokes about how they wish they could have been molested by some of these good looking blond teachers. I'm not quite sure why there are double standards because it just seems sick when I hear about a grown man and a young girl.

[TheKing]

double standards exist...nothing you can do about it

[Astra]

I have seen Leno and Kevin Eubanks make jokes about how they wish they could have been molested by some of these good looking blond teachers. I'm not quite sure why there are double standards because it just seems sick when I hear about a grown man and a young girl.
For whatever reason, it's expected that boys WANT sex and will act on that. Meanwhile we expect girls to remain "pure" (see the safe sex/no sex thread) and not to seek out sex because it's bad. People don't think so much about boys feeling victimized or girls who seek out such activities. It's starting to change, but the double standards will probably continue to exist for a long time.

Once you start talking about high school students though, it really isn't pedophilia. Pedophilia is the attraction to prepubescent children. While there's a moral problem with teachers fooling around with students, it isn't so much of a biological oddity as pedophilia since the kids are old enough to understand and feel attraction and to reproduce (even though acting on it might not be such a great idea).

[just-Wynn]

What's a "mole station"?
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/images/mole.jpg

+

http://sparklejet.typepad.com/exuberance/images/507-Entrada-Drive-2.jpg

[eyescene]

Those Pumps Are pretty!

[aaron]

I could agree with this, but we're none too good at monitoring those who are on "watch lists". We lose them, they lose us, we forget, they go about their merry way committing mayhem.


Then the real problem is with society itself, since it doesn't think this is serious enough to take seriously. The United States attitude is if it doesn't involve me, then I struggle to care.

[Maggie-Doodle]

I have worked alot of child molestation cases...in all but maybe two, the suspect "was" into kiddy porn...although not scientific, this would lead me to believe that kiddy porn "may" lead to molestation.

[fuzzis]

Then the real problem is with society itself, since it doesn't think this is serious enough to take seriously. The United States attitude is if it doesn't involve me, then I struggle to care.

We pay it lip service...we do shit like try to pass laws that say child molesters have to have a bright green license plate so they are easily identifiable; we say they can't live within so many feet of places where children are; we tell their neighbors a predator is in their midst so they can hound them out and make them someone else's problem.

But we're unwilling to make the hard decisions, to pay the cost of really and truly solving the problem.

[mac]

I have worked alot of child molestation cases...in all but maybe two, the suspect "was" into kiddy porn...although not scientific, this would lead me to believe that kiddy porn "may" lead to molestation.

Well, it's evidence of what type of sex they're interested in. I think whatever sick part of their brain that makes them want to look at kid porn is the same part that makes them want to actually act on those fantasies and have sex w/ a child. One doesn't necessarily cause the other. They're both symptoms of the same problem.

[dollfus46]

I've been advocating life for quite some time. It feels a bit like the lone voice crying in the wilderness.

Jessica's Law has a minimum of 25 to life. I'm with you. Child molesters cannot be rehabed. They'll do it again. I just don't understand these judges in Vermont who give them Parole or 6 months and counselling. What are they thinking?

[politically incorrect]

I definitely think that possessing child porn should be a crime. It is exploitation of the children, plus it fuels the temptation among those with a predilection for molestation. There have also been studies that show a high percentage of rapists in prison started down the road to sexual violence by using pornography. I guess you could call porn a "gateway drug" to violent sex crimes.

As for the male students and female teachers, I think the reason for the double standard is the perception that male students are not traumatized by their experience - that they actually fantasize about that kind of thing - but that girls are more prone to be manipulated or coerced into doing something they regret and feel guilt about later. I'm not saying that scenario is true in all cases, but that is society's perception of adolescent boys and girls. I think it should be treated the same as far as punishment of the teachers is concerned. In both cases it is a violation of trust and they all know that it is illegal.

[chaz]

But we're unwilling to make the hard decisions, to pay the cost of really and truly solving the problem.


Castration?

[Astra]

Castration?
I think we covered this in an earlier thread on this subject, but castration may not curb the urge and it only forces violent offenders to change which weapon they use.

So yeah, it's an option, but not a cure.

[dyates]

How about death? That sounds like an excellent idea to me. I agree with zero tolerance.