Gordon E. Thomas III was the subject of an FBI criminal investigation involving the possession and distribution of child pornography (Turvey, 2011). After the arrest of an internet advertiser’s arrest, Federal Agents continued contacting the arrestee’s customers. This led the FBI Agents to Mr. Thomas’s home. A search warrant was obtained and on January 3, 2003 Agents seized a computer, video camera, CD-ROMs, and a number of videotapes. After examination of these items, it was discovered that Mr. Thomas maintained possession of approximately 16,000 pornographic images of children. One of the videos seized contained home footage of a young girl sleeping and an adult male’s hand exposing her genitalia. It is believed to have been the hand of the
As we learned this week, DNA databases are used by various governmental agencies for several different purposes. We all have seen new magazine shows such as, 20/20 or Dateline, that show the collection of DNA samples from suspects in a case that is compared to those collected at the scene of the crime. But what happens when the sample is an incomplete match, compromised, or contaminated? The answer is the wrongful conviction of innocent citizens. The case that I have decided to highlight, is the wrongful conviction of Herman Atkins. In 1986, Atkins was convicted of two counts of forcible rape, two counts of oral copulation, and robbery in the state of California. It was alleged that Herman entered a shoe store, and raped, beat, and robbed a
In 1973, Marvin Miller, operator of one of the West Coast's largest mail-order businesses dealing in sexually explicit material, had conducted a mass mailing campaign to advertise the sale of illustrated books, which was known as “adult material”. He was found guilty based on the fact that he violated California’s pena...
In the town, of West Memphis, Arkansas, three eight year old boys (Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch) went missing May fourth, the following day they were found bruised, mutilated, hogtied, and stripped of their clothes with signs of rape present due to the dilation of the anus. The body of Byers was found submerged in the creek about 60 yards south of Interstate 55(Crime scene or dump site?). The other two bodies was located exactly five feet in both directions of Byers body. (It was determined that Moore and Branch both died from multiple traumatic injuries to the head, torso, and extremities with drowning; while, Byers died of the multiple traumatic i...
Chief Justice Warren Burger set three rules that are helpful in determining whether a material is pornographic or not. First, it is important to determine whether the material appeals to the prurient interest if an average person applies contemporary community standards to that materia (Barmore 475)l. Second, determine whether the material describes or depict sexual content, in a patently offensive manner (Barmore 476). Finally, determine whether the entire work lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value (Hafen 210). These three tests can help one determine whether a
Bibliography: Justice.gov. (2014). USDOJ: CRM: Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ceos/citizensguide/citizensguide_obscenity.html [Accessed: 7 Apr 2014].
On May 23, 1957, Dollree Mapp was suspected to have a bomb suspect in her home. When the police came she demanded to see a warrant from the officers several times. They were never able to produce a warrant, so they used a piece of paper but wouldn’t show what is was. The police officers forced their way into her home. They searched everywhere but was unable to find what they were looking for but they did find sexually explicit books and photographs. They arrested her and she was charged with violating Ohio state law, prohibiting lewd, lascivious, or obscene materials.
The adverse subjects of child pornography and sex tapes have consistently been a controversy in the world. Today, there constantly seems to be a new sex scandal or pornography crime occurring. Sex tapes of celebrities are regularly circulating and they appear to be a popular topic to discuss. This was true when singer, R. Kelly, allegedly participated in a sex tape with a young girl. Kelly went to court on an account of child pornography instead of rape or sexual abuse.
Jesse Timmendequas’ convictions stemmed from a 1981 attack on a 5 year old girl, for which he served 9 months. That same year he was convicted for an attempted rape of a 7 year old girl, for which he was sentenced to ten years. After serving only six years, he was free to lure 7 year old Megan into his home where he brutally raped and strangling her with a belt as she bit and fought for life. He knocked her to the floor, hitting her several times in the head. He wrapped her head in plastic shopping bags to prevent her blood from staining the rugs. He then took a toy box and stuffed her inside. Megan’s body was found in a weeded area of a nearby park near a portable toilet.
In her essay “Let’s Put Pornography Back in the Closet,” Susan Brownmiller, a prominent feminist activist, argues that pornography should not be protected under the First Amendment (59). Her position is based on the belief that pornography is degrading and abusive towards women (Brownmiller 59). She introduces the reader to the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, and explains how it relates to her beliefs on censoring pornographic material (Brownmiller 58). In addition, she provides examples of First Amendment controversies such as Miller v. California and James Joyce’s Ulysses to explain how the law created a system to define pornographic material (Brownmiller 58). She described the system that used a three-part test as confusing (Brownmiller 58). Regardless of whether or not the First Amendment was intended to protect obscenities, she and many others believe that the legislatures should have the final say in the decision of creating and publishing pornography (Brownmiller 60).
‘I can’t define pornography, but I know it when I see it.’ (P. Stewart, US Supreme Court’) Justice Potter Stewart’s remarks in the Jacobellis Vs. Ohio Supreme Court case are infamous in both American law and pop culture. Since the inception of the first amendment, American law has excluded the use of profanity or obscene content from protected free speech. However, as Justice Stewart stated, courts and lawmakers have routinely struggled to outline what constitutes obscenities…… This struggle is largely in part to the fluid dynamic of morality in society.
Sex is every where these days. Whether it’s a sexual act, phrase, or action, sex has consumed most of our society. Consequentially it has begun to affect many younger children negatively. Whether there is a sexual act on TV, in video games, or within the media, it’s broadcast-ed for pretty much anyone to see anywhere. In most cases, it ends up being seen by the wrong audiences. These images are being seen by younger and younger generations of children; what may not be seen as harmful, but are indeed leading to harmful acts by curious minds. As a result there has been a highly increasing rate of teenagers and younger children being accused and prosecuted for many various sexual offenses.
A real life example of the link between the onset of pornography in American culture and sexual crimes includes a survey done in 1978, in which 44% of the nine hun...
Dodd’s exposing abnormalities began to escalate to molesting around the time his parents divorced. Dodd would put his self in positions of trust with children. He often would baby sit the neighborhood boys; he also became a camp consular and would play games with children, later to trick them into performing some type of sexual activity. It is believed that Dodd molested or abused as many as 50 young boys with ages ranging from two to twelve ye...
This quote provides the essential issue with defining what pornography is. The Supreme Court case Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964) contained a concurrence in which Justice Potter Stewart stated th...
Rae, Michale C. “What Is Pornography?” Wiley.com 17 Dec. 2002. Michael C. Rae. 26. Mar. ffffff 2014