Pornography

Abstract

Infant pornography is not the most common form of pornography, but it is prevalent. Infants may be explicitly exhibited or penetrated in pornography. The crime is often perpetrated by trusted adults (e.g., doctors, babysitters, parents). Some of the most prolific child pornography producers are babysitters. For example, in one international bust a babysitter was sentenced to 315 years in prison after participating in an international infant pornography ring involving dozens of suspects stretching across Sweden, Serbia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States (News 24, 2012). More often than not, authorities are unable to identify children’s identities; but, identifiable children who are abused by their parents will be removed and placed in state custody. Even when pornography distributors do not produce pornography, possessing and distributing such images of infants may be particularly dangerous and offensive to society (U.S. v. Slinkard, 2013). Noncontact pornography crimes involving infants may merit an upward variance in sentencing.