NCJ Number
241528
Date Published
December 2012
Length
468 pages
Annotation
This report is the result of a multi-year process in which the United States Sentencing Commission ("the Commission") examined cases of offenders sentenced under the Federal sentencing guidelines and corresponding penal statutes concerning child pornography offenses.
Abstract
The focus of this report is USSG section 2G2.2 (Trafficking in Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor; Receiving, Transporting, Shipping, Soliciting, or Advertising Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor; Possessing Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor), the current guideline for non-production offenses such as possession, receipt, transportation, and distribution of child pornography. One chapter of this report also analyzes cases of offenders sentenced under the guidelines for production of child pornography, USSG Section 2G2.1 (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material; Custodian Permitting a Minor to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct; Advertisement for Minors to Engage in Production). The purpose of this report is to contribute to the ongoing assessment by Congress and the various stakeholders in the Federal criminal justice system regarding how Federal child pornography offenders are prosecuted, sentenced, incarcerated, and supervised following their reentry into the community. Sentencing data indicate that a growing number of courts believe that the current sentencing scheme in non-production offenses is overly severe for some offenders. In addition to presenting the Commission's findings and conclusions, the report presents the Commission's recommendations to Congress concerning revisions to the sentencing scheme in child pornography cases.