So, let's see if I have this straight.....in a Federal Case the minimum sentence is 5 years and the maximum is 40, you're listed as a sex offender for life, so your chances of finding a decent job are nearly nil if/when you do get out and you're going to expect to get restitution how? Oh yeah, take it from the family.....so now I can look forward to them taking my house as well as my husband? I'm just glad my children are grown so they won't be homeless as well.

Please don't get me wrong, I feel for these girls (and boys)....but the toll on the families is so great and I've worked my whole life to get where I am also, but if it belongs to me then it belongs to him and I no longer count....it's not even like a divorce and it's half and half....I could end up with literally no roof over my head....over something I had no knowledge of or control over......and what's been said "wasn't what he was looking for nor intentional" in open court....

I'm sorry... 71/2 years of stress over this is just too much for me.

Don't these girls keep themselves from being healthy women. They have to live with this every day.. to add more laws with them as examples they're just perpetuating an unhealthy mindset.

Maybe the government needs to give them restitution. They use their videos all the time to convict innocent men.

According to this law my son would be in debt for $25,000 right now. And that was for 1 Vicky cp.

Keep the boot on the throat of the poor and that 1% rules.

A few things in the article caught my attention.

Just a couple of weeks after the United States vs Paroline case, which attempted to address the restitution in CP cases, this legislation was introduced. The politicians did what they always do if they can. They take a court decision they do not like, then wordsmith another law to get around the decision.

They change the law just a little to make it legal or constitutional. I have seen this numerous times with state legislation.

This sentence in the article also jumped out at me-----" Federal law already provides a mechanism for creating a fair and balanced payment schedule according to each defendant's ability to pay."

So I suppose if you have no ability to pay, they will structure some form of payment plan where you can just pay according to your income, however small that might be.

No doubt the downloader any of Vicky's or Amy's images on their hard drive will have a judgment against them for the money owed.

The entire argument in these situations has always been this---Are the downloaders the "proximate cause" of these young lady's suffering? I don't think so and common sense would tell you "no." The proximate cause are the people who molested these children and videotaped the assault.

Forfeiture will be next, much like we witnessed in the War on Drugs and drug crimes. They will start taking all computers, houses, etc., from the defendants.

Yes, the War on Drugs has been replaced with the War on Child Pornography.

I have to admit that at one time I really had the utmost sympathy for these girls, but it is obvious that this has turned into a money making scheme for them and their ambulance chasing attorneys. My respect has waned considerably.

rewdiazepam

rew,
I thought this was a money driven scheme from the beginning. Shades of John Walsh!

Besides, are they going to revisit every case in the past and determine whether there was CP containing their images? Will it be civil or criminal? Will this be "going forward" legislation or more ex post facto?

The next step will be to RICO everyone with a CP case!!!!

The government is always saying, "For the children" and "if it saves one child."

They also say that we must "protect the children" from harm.

But that is not what the govenment does at all. Every time a child porn downloader is caught with one of Vicky's or Amy's images on their computer, the government sends a letter to the girls and their attorneys that someone has been caught with her images.

So the government notifies these two young ladies. It seems to me that if the government was sincere in their belief for the children's welfare, they would just not notify them every time their images surface.

Isn't the government just pouring salt on an open wound? How will they ever heal if the government keeps reminding them that so-and-so was caught with their images?

Well, I will tell you what this is all about. Do you really think, deep down, that these politicians care that much for the plight of Vicky or Amy. Oh, I am sure they feel badly for them, but not as much as they would like you to believe.

What this does is just gives the politicians another platform to pass more laws and say that they are "tough on crime" by ridding the internet of all those "perverts, pedophiles, and predators" on the internet.

Politicians never pass up a chance to look good to the general public as it gets them re-elected.

And it turns out all good. Vicky or Amy gets paid, the DAs win a conviction, her lawyers get paid, and the politicians keep getting re-elected.

Now before someone comes along and mentions that I have no feelings for Amy and Vicky, let me say I do. But let's place the blame where it belongs.

rewdiazepam

coolrich,

OMG, Coolrich, don't mention any retroactivity!!!! Don't give these politicians any ideas.

Next they will be digging up old cases and charging the downloaders in civil court!!

rewdiazepam

I have to add one more thing...."receipt" and "possession" are the same thing in my book! You can't do one without the other! However, they are calling "receipt" distribution, which is NOT at all the same thing in my book. Distribution is intentionally sending it on! So by the wording in this anyone charged with both (which is always) is on the line for $175,000 unless you take a plea which is the point of having the two separate charges.

And yes, they'll set up a payment schedule and review it quarterly to be sure you don't have ANY extra money. Wouldn't want anyone to go out for a Big Mac on their birthday or anything wasteful like that.

And these girls are in the spotlight and enjoying every minute of it. They whine about everyone knowing them and then perpetuate it by making sure they are known.

rew,
Sorry if I upset you. It would just fit every other law.

Coolrich,

Ha Ha. No, you didn't upset me at all. I was just joking about it.

rewdiazepam

ahhhhhh, restitution. the payment by LE to victims for the privilege of using and perpetuating the abuse of their images.

just another form of prostitution, by my way of thinking. wonder how they went about coercing the victims into allowing the use of their innocent images? was it by way of guilt? ie. if they don't help then they are therefore hurting and jeopardizing other children? don't you want to help save other innocent children. don't you want to see these monstrous animals caught? don't you want to help stop these perverts before other innocent children are victimized? compassion? just think of all the good this will do in the end. you can feel good and justified in knowing that you are helping the war on CP and perverts.

is it a feeling of getting something back for being a victim? or is it simply greed?

yes everyone connected to these cases pays in one way or another. but the families of SO's pay hugely for their connection. a by-product? or deliberate disregard of the collateral damage done to the SO's families on the behalf of LE?

i settled a small workman's comp claim yesterday and will be depositing $1000 in my daughter's com account today to enable her to pay her restitution. thankfully it wasn't more. the total had been much higher. instead all but one, whose image has been used, declined restitution. i and my daughter are immensely grateful for that fact. my daughter was majorly stressing out over the idea of trying to get it paid off with the wages of a prison job!

I of course an upset about this but what I do not understand is since when can Congress pass a law that circumvents a Supreme Court decision? so what does this mean exactly? It makes me want to cry - we have talked about this before - it is like saying if you looked at a photo of a murder you are guilty of murder. How are they going to identify these people that had those identified victims? And what about CP victims from other countries? Is this sweeping legislation that is going to be like the AWA and is it going to include ALL identified victims in CP? This is just too much to handle - is it also going to be retro? Is restitution considered punitive or part of a sentence?

And who is going to scour these hundreds of thousand of records looking for those identification numbers and matching them to the CP? Are they going to take all these people back to court to impose this restitution? it makes NO sense - it is just mind boggling! So instead of spending thousands and maybe millions of dollars on manpower and prosecuting for money that can not ever be paid why don't they just give them victim compensation or something?

Here's a thought, if we pay "Vicky and Amy" for possessing their photos, isn't that like paying a porn star for their work? I wouldn't want that money if I was them. It would feel dirty to me..the clip on "Pretty Woman"comes to mind when Greer puts cash on the bed for Robert's services....

I think we have to remember that the two girls' attorneys are also fueling their desire to collect restitution. They are probably persuading the girls to "go big" in some of these civil suits. After all, the attorney's have a gravy train here also.

They are no doubt getting a big percentage of any proceeds here.

rewdiazepam