Well, here's a subject open for discussion. I'm not sure what my position is. What surprises me is that Mr. Vilca was held responsible for each and every image. That's almost unheard of.
Possibly the judge agrees with many of us and believes that this obsession is not treatable and wants to ensure the safety of children. I'm all but certain that this story is far from being told.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/05/u...ser censored*-spurs-debate.html?src=me&ref=us
Life Sentence for Possession of Child *advertiser censored* Spurs Debate Over Severity
November 4, 2011
"Does downloading child *advertiser censored* from the Internet deserve the same criminal punishment as first-degree murder? A circuit court judge in Florida clearly thinks so: On Thursday, he sentenced Daniel Enrique Guevara Vilca, a 26-year-old stockroom worker whose home computer was found to contain hundreds of pornographic images of children, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
But the severity of the justice meted out to Mr. Vilca, who had no previous criminal record, has led some criminal justice experts to question whether increasingly harsh penalties delivered in cases involving the viewing of *advertiser censored* really fit the crime. Had Mr. Vilca actually molested a child, they note, he might well have received a lighter sentence...."
and
"....Sexual offenses involving children enrage most Americans, and lawmakers have not hesitated to impose lengthy prison terms for offenders. In Florida, possession of child *advertiser censored* is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. Mr. Vilca was charged with 454 counts of possession, each count representing one image found on the computer. Steve Maresca, the assistant state attorney in the case, said that in his view, Mr. Vilca received a sentence pursuant to the sentencing guidelines....
and
....Too many people just look at this as a victimless crime, and thats not true, he said. These children are victimized, and when the images are shown over and over again, theyre victimized over and over again.....
More at link
Possibly the judge agrees with many of us and believes that this obsession is not treatable and wants to ensure the safety of children. I'm all but certain that this story is far from being told.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/05/u...ser censored*-spurs-debate.html?src=me&ref=us
Life Sentence for Possession of Child *advertiser censored* Spurs Debate Over Severity
November 4, 2011
"Does downloading child *advertiser censored* from the Internet deserve the same criminal punishment as first-degree murder? A circuit court judge in Florida clearly thinks so: On Thursday, he sentenced Daniel Enrique Guevara Vilca, a 26-year-old stockroom worker whose home computer was found to contain hundreds of pornographic images of children, to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
But the severity of the justice meted out to Mr. Vilca, who had no previous criminal record, has led some criminal justice experts to question whether increasingly harsh penalties delivered in cases involving the viewing of *advertiser censored* really fit the crime. Had Mr. Vilca actually molested a child, they note, he might well have received a lighter sentence...."
and
"....Sexual offenses involving children enrage most Americans, and lawmakers have not hesitated to impose lengthy prison terms for offenders. In Florida, possession of child *advertiser censored* is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. Mr. Vilca was charged with 454 counts of possession, each count representing one image found on the computer. Steve Maresca, the assistant state attorney in the case, said that in his view, Mr. Vilca received a sentence pursuant to the sentencing guidelines....
and
....Too many people just look at this as a victimless crime, and thats not true, he said. These children are victimized, and when the images are shown over and over again, theyre victimized over and over again.....
More at link
