NCJ Number
140434
Journal
Justice Research Notes Issue: 2 Dated: (March 1991) Pages: 9-10
Date Published
1991
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Pornography and its attendant effects have been of concern to the Canadian federal government for some time, and two federally-appointed committees have looked at the issue.
Abstract
In 1980, the Committee on Sexual Offences Against Children and Youths was established and made numerous recommendations on pornography involving children. In 1983, the Special Committee on Pornography and Prostitution was appointed to recommend appropriate legislative, social, and educational action. Both committees identified pornography as an issue of special concern to women. In support of 1987 legislative amendments on pornography, a study was conducted to serve as a guide to social science evidence on the effects of pornography. Part one of this study is a synthesis of empirical social science evidence that addresses the link between pornography and presumed harmful effects. The focus of the report is primarily on the impact of pornography on adult males, particularly the sexual aggression they may exhibit toward adult females. On balance, research findings on the effects of nonviolent pornography are mixed or inconclusive. There is also mixed evidence on the relation between changes in pornography legislation and changes in criminal behavior (sexual assault). The research shows that criminal behavior is linked to broader cultural and social factors. With respect to the effects of violent pornography, research indicates significant deleterious effects, especially increased aggression against women. Part two of the study examines recent studies on the impact of violent pornography on aggressive behavior. This part of the study concludes that the psychological harm arising from pornography is mainly attitudinal and appears to result in aggressive behavior very rarely, except in men already predisposed to view women negatively.