Who are the real perverts here?

Possession or distribution of kiddie porn is a crime, right? Arguably, it is one of the more serious crimes  imaginable, as violators can typically get more years in prison for possession of child pornography than for possession of drugs. The theory of the crime is that the children involved are victimized every time the porn is viewed.

Viewed by an adult, right?

Wrong!

Apparently, the age of the viewer does not matter. Nor does intent.

NORTH HIGHLANDS (CBS13) — A child porn investigation is under way at Hillsdale Elementary School in North Highlands after students were found passing around an inappropriate photo of a female student.

After phone calls today, the Twin Rivers School District confirmed over the weekend that the naked photo of a sixth-grader had been sent electronically to some students. This week, other students passed it around.

Hillsdale’s principal Renee Scott-Femenella called in the Twin Rivers Police Department in what is now a child pornography investigation.

One dad, who didn’t want to be identified, was furious with the lack of communication at the school as well as the content of the photo.

“That is my major concern, is that the school is not communicating with us, the parents.” he said.

Criminal defense attorney Jennifer Mouzis says the children who received and forwarded the photo could face a felony charges.

“This is becoming a very serious issue among juveniles because parents are buying the kids smartphones,” she said.

Sorry, but this does not compute. Children are simply not capable of understanding that looking at each other’s bodies is felonious conduct.

Assuming nudity is pornography, a child viewing a picture of another naked child is in no way comparable to an adult viewing a picture of a naked child.

I think this is absolute insanity, pure and simple. It violates all common sense. It’s like passing a law making it illegal for an adult to look at a child in the locker room, and then bust children for looking at each other in the locker room. At the rate they’re going, a kid who takes a “pornographic” (read naked) picture of himself and then looks at his own picture will be chargeable with committing auto-kiddie-porn or something, and be a felon (and a registered sex offender) for life.

I’m glad I was a child in the bad old days.


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6 responses to “Who are the real perverts here?”

  1. Mark Avatar
    Mark

    I pretty certain it would be illegal to have naked pictures of any child on your phone or other device even if they are of yourself. I can’t imagine the law differentiates who they are of or the circumstances under which they are taken. I have read several times (on the internet, so it must be true) of cases of parents or grandparents being charged for having bathtub or pool pictures of children without clothing.

  2. Eric Scheie Avatar

    You mean if parents take a picture of their kid in the bathtub and they give it to the kid and he has it they are all guilty of possessing and distributing kiddie porn?

    Who knew?

  3. Simon Avatar

    Here is some kiddie porn that has been in most newspapers in America at one time or another:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Thi_Kim_Phuc

  4. c andrew Avatar
    c andrew

    Simon,
    Not just kiddie porn, but kiddie porn with violence and torture!

    I cannot recall where I read it, but wasn’t there a case where a young adult was prosecuted for kp possession with pics where he was the victim?

  5. Kathy Kinsley Avatar
    Kathy Kinsley

    @c andrew. Wouldn’t be surprised – though I don’t know of any such (and I hope, if it happened, it got thrown out of court).

    It’s a bit out of control. Porn is NOT equal to nude pics. Or National Geographic’s whole staff for the past umpteen years would be in jail.

  6. c andrew Avatar
    c andrew

    Kathy,

    There’s an old cartoon – I think from the New Yorker – that shows a bespectacled man crouching in his living room next to the bookcase. Vice cops surround the house shouting, “throw out the national geographics and come out with your hands up!”