Jacob Sullum on Unjust Child Porn Penalties

Amy
was eight when her uncle began raping her. He took pictures. Last
month the Supreme Court considered what restitution Amy
is entitled to collect—not from her uncle but from a man, Doyle
Paroline, who downloaded two of those pictures. The potential
answers to that question range from zero to $3.4 million. According
to The New York Times, the justices seemed “stumped.”
Jacob Sullum says their confusion reflects a deeper problem with
the justification for criminalizing possession of child
pornography, an offense for which legislators have prescribed
increasingly harsh penalties with little regard to sense or
justice.

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