How to Prosecute Child Pornography

As technology has made it easier for people to share pornography anonymously across computer networks, the issue of child pornography has garnered more and more media attention. Law enforcement agencies have responded by developing new and improved ways to arrest and prosecute those who create, distribute or acquire child porn. Concerned citizens can stay engaged in the fight, helping to expose child pornography rings and helping authorities to prosecute these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Compile necessary evidence about a suspected child pornography operation. This should include URLs of websites, information about Internet Service Providers (ISPs), names, addresses or email exchanges between those individuals suspected to be involved in the creation or distribution of child porn. This information will be crucial for police and attorneys to prosecute offenders.
2. Involve your local police department. Hopefully, your local police force has recognized the growing threat of child cyber crimes and responded accordingly. There should be a contact within the police department that's specially trained to work with the public on prosecuting these crimes.
3. Contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation with your tips on child porn. The investigative power of the federal government is unparalleled, and they're working hand-in-hand with the Department of Justice to prosecute child sex offenders aggressively.
4. Follow the trail of evidence to expose and prosecute others. More than likely, the child porn on one suspect's computer came from someone else's computer. By aggressively interrogating suspects and researching the files on their computers, it's possible to uncover the larger networks that create and distribute this obscene material.
5. Collaborate with some of the different non-profit organizations that seek to protect children from sexual abuse. Both the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection have special units dedicated to prosecuting cases of child pornography (see Resources below). These organizations partner with law enforcement agencies to bring child pornographers to justice.

Tips & Warnings

• While laws prohibiting pornography and obscenity are constitutionally murky, there is no ambiguity about the legality of child porn. It is probably the clearest example of speech that is not protected by the First Amendment.
• Recent changes in child porn laws also make it a crime to create, distribute or possess images that "convey the impression" of child sex abuse, even if a child isn't directly involved. Though these laws have yet to stand up to an effective Supreme Court challenge, it's now technically illegal to own a film such as Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita," in which sex with an underage girl is implied but not explicitly shown.