BUTNER, N.C. - A debate about whether to publish a study of people convicted of consuming illegal child images online is heating up within the circle of psychologists, law enforcement officers, and prison officials. The study, completed by psychologists within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, states 85 percent of the Internet offenders admitted they had committed acts of sexual abuse against minors, acts ranging from inappropriate touching to rape.
This is the first survey of Internet offenders completed by prison therapists. Psychologists Andres E. Hernandez and Michael L. Bourke interviewed 155 male inmates who volunteered for treatment at the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, N.C. All of the them were serving sentences for possessing or distributing child pornography.
The debate centers around whether to publish the information, and if so, how it should be presented. Experts worry about implications for public safety and law enforcement. Some groups, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, say the results of the study should be published as soon as possible in order to identify persons who claim to be simply viewing child pornography but actually are predators. Others, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons, say the findings should not be released because the results may be misinterpreted. While the results are significant, they may also shame some unfairly, since the study included only offenders who volunteered and not the entire population.
The paper included statements from Hernandez and Bourke like "many Internet child pornography offenders may be undetected child molesters," but also included the opinion that offenders who volunteer for treatment may behave differently from those who do not seek treatment.
Because persons convicted of possessing or distributing child pornography receive shorter parole time and lighter sentences than those charged with sexual abuse, most experts seem to agree, in light of the study, that online consumers of illegal child images should be investigated more thoroughly. Prosecutors think they might be able to use the study to argue for stiffer sentences, while psychologists say they will be able to administer more effective treatment by learning the relationship between viewing child pornography and sexually assaulting children.
