Child Exploitation - Research Paper Example

This will require due process of law, to determine. The man is only a suspect, at the moment, until judgment is passed in a court of law. It is tempting to believe in his guilt, since it is his computer that contains pornographic pictures of Jennifer and other children. This is, however, circumstantial evidence, until he confesses, or there is convincing, admissible testimony against him, or there is overwhelming, admissible evidence. The pornography is incriminating evidence, but we do not know, for a fact, that these are photos or videos which he took and possibly distributed, or whether perhaps his housekeeper or gardener or best buddy used his computer to do so.

Perhaps he is being framed by police. Maybe Jennifer has falsified identification that indicates she is not a minor. Maybe Jennifer’s mother vouched for her daughter’s older age and there was no reasonable clue to suggest otherwise. Maybe he checked her driving license and her Facebook account, as well as her personal website, and they all indicated clearly that she was 19 years old. Maybe this man suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder and is unaware of a personality behaving in a criminal manner.

Maybe he is profoundly mentally retarded and is not capable of understanding the illegality and consequences of what he did, if indeed he did it. Many things are possible and open to speculation, at the moment. It is easy to assume guilt in a case that triggers emotional shock, horror, and disgust, but this is the type of situation in which the community must wait for a court of law to make an official finding. The underlying assumption, contained in this first question, bears some reflection.

Are Jennifer and her mother willing participants? Jennifer is 16. This means that in 31 states, she is old enough to give consent for sexual activity. In 19 states, Jennifer is not a willing participant, because she is